President Mohamed Muizzu's Islamist Govt of Maldives has decided to amend laws to prevent Israeli passport holders from entering the picturesque Indian Ocean archipelago.
The announcement in this regard was made by Home Minister Ali Ihusan during an emergency press briefing at the President's Office on Sunday. The decision has been taken in view of mounting public anger in the country over the devastating attacks by Israeli forces on Gaza.
Expressing the gravity of the situation, Minister Ihusan said: " The cabinet decided today to make the legal amendments necessary to ban entry into the Maldives on Israeli passports as soon as possible,”
To expedite this process, a specialized committee comprising ministers has been formed, as reported by the news portal Sun.mv.
This move comes at a time when the Maldives has been receiving over a million tourists annually, is strong and symbolizes a huge stand against the happenings in Gaza.
It's also reported that the government has taken further actions to show its firmness and solidarity with Palestine by appointing a special presidential envoy. This envoy will go to areas or zones of assessment, where it will be found that Palestine needs support from the Maldives. In doing so, this envoy will be tasked to organize fundraising activities to assist the Palestinians through the UN Relief and Works Agency for Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
According to the news portal, the implementation of banning all Israeli passport holders is contingent on a legal reform. This conflict in Gaza, which has had its full punch going for weeks now following an attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, has taken on a gruesome toll. Authorities in Israel have registered over 800 casualties and 240 hostages, all thanks to Hamas' goodwill in action, and this has prompted serious counter-offensives by Israel.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, the toll on the Palestinian lives stands tall and big, with over 36,000, including women and children, being victims of the Israeli actions. It is acts like these that have had to have reverberated all across the world, hence causing nations like the Maldives to take strong stands for peace and justice.
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