The Maldives no longer welcome Israeli tourists. The island nation off the coast of India and Sri Lanka is about 99% Muslim. About 11,000 Israelis visit every year.
No Israeli passports are allowed. That decision by the Maldives cabinet was signed off on by President Mohamed Muizzu on Sunday. The minister of homeland security and technology made the announcement.
The president also appointed a special envoy to the needs of Palestinians. He set up a fundraising campaign to assist Palestinians in collaboration with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
Sounds like apartheid, doesn't it?
Do the useful idiots in America protesting over "apartheid" in Israel understand that it is Muslim countries who practice apartheid? Arabs can live in Israel but Israelis cannot live in Palestinian territory, for example. The protesters who use Hamas propaganda don't care.
Women are not allowed to be immodestly clothed on the island, which means standard swimwear unless they are in a Western-style resort. The police will come and arrest a tourist outside of the resort for such violations.
Israel responded by recommending that Israelis living in the Maldives leave. And it recommended that Israelis who hold other passports avoid traveling there.
Yoseph Haddad, an Arab-Israeli media personality who has been called a "defender of Israel," attacked the Maldives for its decision on Facebook as he sought to equate the move to "apartheid."
"They didn't ban entry for citizens of Iran, North Korea, or Syria... only Israelis!" Haddad said. "They may have beautiful islands, but their policies are the ugliest out there. Supporters of antisemitic terrorism!"
After the ban was announced, the Israeli Embassy in India invited Israeli citizens to visit India and its beaches. Israeli tourists are welcome there.
The Israel Embassy in India also recommended some of the Indian places which include Goa, Andaman, and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and Kerala. The post included pictures of beaches in Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Goa, and Kerala.
Israeli consul general in Mumbai, Kobbi Shoshani, even reacted to a January post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi where PM Modi praised the natural beauty of Lakshadweep.
#VantageOnFirstpost: The Maldivian government has decided to ban Israeli tourists in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Israel's embassy in India has brushed off the ban, asking Israelis to visit Indian beaches like Goa and Kerala. @palkisu tells you. pic.twitter.com/jiWp5WP6pr
— Firstpost (@firstpost) June 3, 2024
#Lakshadweep is back with a bang. A day after the Maldives barred the entry of Israeli passport holders, the #Israel embassy in India has promoted “some beautiful and amazing Indian beaches where Israeli tourists are warmly welcomed and treated with utmost hospitality.”
— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) June 3, 2024
Read more… pic.twitter.com/kXYU2VbS2B
It's important to note when things like this happen, especially now during the Israel-Hamas war. Many Muslim countries ban Israelis from entering. In this case, this action is in response to the Maldives making it clear that it has made the choice to support Hamas.
Banning Israeli passport holders is not new in Muslim countries. As of 2023, 28 countries did not recognize Israel as a sovereign nation. Sixteen countries did not allow entry to visitors with Israeli passports.
The new ban cites Hamas propaganda as the reason for its decision.
The Maldives suspended diplomatic ties with Israel 50 years ago, but the Israeli people have been able to visit the Maldives since the early 1990s when the nation lifted a previous ban on Israeli tourism.
According to Palestinian officials, Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed over 36,000 people, after Hamas and other militant groups launched an attack in southern Israel on October 7. This attack killed about 1,200 people and took 250 people hostage.
As of 2024, several countries refuse entry to Israeli passport holders. These include key nations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, such as Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and Iraq, which have long-standing non-recognition policies towards Israel due to political conflicts.
Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Syria, and Yemen all impose bans on Israeli nationals, including Israeli Arabs. These countries do not recognize the State of Israel, and as such, they do not allow entry to Israeli passport holders.
Muslim countries are guilty of what they accuse Israel of doing, like promoting apartheid. They do not want to live among non-Muslims.
It is unclear when the ban will go into effect.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member