President starts campaign “Maldivians in Solidarity with Palestine.“
The Maldives, a popular tourist destination in the Indian Ocean, intends to ban Israeli tourist to visit Maldives.
It is announced by the president’s office on Sunday.
This move is part of a national consensus to show “solidarity with Palestine.”
The Maldives is a small Islamic country made up of over 1,000 coral islands, famous for its beautiful beaches and turquoise lagoons.
President Mohamed Muizzu has decided to ban Israeli passports, according to a spokesperson, but didn’t say when the ban will start.
Muizzu also launched a national fundraising campaign called “Maldivians in Solidarity with Palestine.”
In the early 1990s, the Maldives had banned Israeli tourists but lifted the ban later and tried to improve relations in 2010.
However, these efforts stopped after President Mohamed Nasheed was removed from power in February 2012.
Recently, opposition parties and government allies have pressured Muizzu to ban Israelis to protest against the Gaza attack.
Official data shows that the number of Israelis visiting the Maldives dropped to 528 in the first four months of this year, an 88% decrease compared to the same period last year.
Following the ban announcement, a spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised Israeli citizens to avoid traveling to the Maldives