In response to the Middle East war, the Maldives want to deny entry to Israeli tourists. Due to anti-Israel sentiment, Israel had already issued a travel warning for the Muslim country in December.
The government of the Maldives wants to ban Israeli citizens from entering the country in response to the war in the Gaza Strip. The relevant laws are to be amended, said the office of President Mohamed Muizzu in the capital Malé. He has thus followed a corresponding recommendation from the cabinet. The ban should come into force as soon as possible, Interior Minister Ali Ihusaan told reporters.
In addition, the president of the Muslim country has appointed a special envoy to determine the needs of the Palestinians. He also wants to collect money for the people in the Palestinian territories with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Travel warning since December
The Israeli Foreign Ministry then advised its citizens not to travel to the Indian Ocean archipelago, which is known for its luxury hotels, white beaches, turquoise waters and corals, and if they are already there, to consider leaving the country.
Israel had already issued a travel warning for the Maldives last December – in view of the anti-Israeli sentiment in the context of the war. The two nations do not have full diplomatic relations, but Israelis have so far been able to visit the island group. Last year, according to official Maldivian figures, almost 11,000 tourists from Israel visited the islands.