Maldives may ban Israeli passports from entering amid Gaza genocide

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
20 Nov 2023 13:19
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The bill proposed by Maldives MP Mohamed Nasheed Abdulla is intended for the amendment of the article on persons prohibited from entering the Maldives.

An IOF flare is seen over the Gaza Strip on Nov. 20, 2023. (AP)

Maldives MP Mohamed Nasheed Abdulla submitted a proposal to amend the Immigration Act, amid the Israeli war on Gaza, to ban those carrying Israeli passports from entering the country.

The bill is intended for the amendment of an article on persons prohibited from entering the Maldives.

Nasheed Abdulla stated that the objective of the bill is to pressure and place sanctions on "Israel" via a travel ban, in light of the genocide being committed against the people of Gaza and Palestine.

Abdulla also added that the Maldives must follow through with the ban on Israeli arrivals as the nations of the Organization for Islamic Corporation (OIC), of which the Maldives is a member, have placed a travel ban as well for the same reason.

Forms of solidarity with Palestine

Last week, protestors took to the front of the Maldives' parliament to express outrage against "Israel's" aggression and bloodshed in Gaza, as they demanded an immediate ban on Israeli passports.

In light of the public pressure, the Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee advised the country's president to consider the passport ban on "Israel".

Back in January 2022, Israeli diplomatic sources claimed that the Maldives were reestablishing ties to normalize diplomatic relations with "Israel", which were severed in 1974. After the 2014 war on Gaza, the Maldives terminated all ties with the occupation and prohibited all Israeli imports.

Another form of protest, widely becoming more recognized as a form of resistance against "Israel's" genocide in Gaza, is the boycott of Israeli products and brands supporting the Occupation - such as Starbucks and McDonald's, among otherz

Part of the boycott is not only product-linked. Ambassadors to "Israel" have also been recalled and expelled by multiple nations, like Turkey and Jordan. Saudi Arabia announced a halt in normalization talks, while Honduras, Colombia, and Chile withdrew their ambassadors as well.

Meanwhile, Bolivia severed diplomatic ties with "Israel" over the ongoing war crimes in Gaza.