In response to the ongoing war since members of a terrorist group in Gaza called Hamas launched thousands of surprise rocket attacks and ground assaults in Israel early in the morning on Saturday, October 7, 2023, this country imposed a ban on Israeli passport holders.
This Country Imposed a Ban on Israeli Passport Holders
The country in question is the Republic of Maldives; and the following is the text of the official announcement from Sunday, June 2, 2024 in its entirety:
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, following a recommendation from the Cabinet, has resolved to impose a ban on Israeli passports. The Minister of Homeland Security and Technology, Ali Ihsaan, announced the decision at a news conference held at the President’s Office this afternoon.
The Cabinet decision includes amending necessary laws to prevent Israeli passport holders from entering the Maldives and establishing a Cabinet subcommittee to oversee these efforts.
Additionally, in the case of Palestine and Israel, the President decided to appoint a special envoy to assess Palestinian needs. The President further decided to set up a fundraising campaign to assist our brothers and sisters in Palestine with the help of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and to conduct a nationwide rally under the slogan “Falastheenaa Eku Dhivehin,” which translates to “Maldivians in Solidarity with Palestine” to show support.
The Foreign Ministry of Israel reportedly recommended on that same day that Israelis — including those with other passports — avoid traveling to the Republic of Maldives; and that citizens of Israel who are already there consider leaving that country, as providing assistance to them would be difficult should they find themselves in danger.
No details were revealed as to when this law will become effective. The ban supposedly includes dual passport holders and people who hold passports that were issued by other countries in addition to those issued by Israel.
Visitors from Israel accounted for only approximately 0.6 percent of the total tourist population to the Maldives in 2023.
Final Boarding Call
A sovereign nation can choose to keep out anyone it wants for any reason — or for no reason at all…
…but taking this ban at face value and not delving into the multiple facets that comprise the complex situation that is currently ongoing in Israel, it punishes any person who holds a passport that was issued by Israel — no matter what are his or her political, ideological, or religious beliefs or stances. That is unfair, in my opinion. Applying a blanket ban simply because someone holds a passport that was issued by a certain country does not solve any problems. In fact, I believe doing so only exacerbates the situation.
Feel free to switch both the Republic of Maldives and Israel with other nations. The same holds true regardless of the countries involved, in my opinion.
The Republic of Maldives is not the only sovereign nation which bans holders of passports that are issued by Israel. That distinction is shared with Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen. As one example, Lebanon has a similar ban — but then again, Lebanon and Israel have technically been at war for years; and conflict has once again intensified because Hezbollah has been attacking northern Israel with rockets and bombs.
Many people have conflated this ban to assume that it includes all people who are Jewish. I can understand why someone would jump to that conclusion; but Jewish people who do not hold a passport that was issued by Israel are still free to visit the country. Many Jewish people are choosing not to visit the Republic of Maldives as a result of the ban. Perhaps anti-Semitism is involved in this decision; but Mohamed Muizzu stopped short of outright saying that in his decree.
I have never visited the Republic of Maldives; but I have been told time and time again by other travelers who have been there that it is highly overrated, extremely expensive, and that other countries such as the Seychelles offer similar environments and experiences — regardless of the controversies in which the Republic of Maldives have been embroiled.
What are your thoughts? Would you still visit the Republic of Maldives?
