Maldives Bans Israeli Citizens in Protest Against Gaza War

The Maldives has enforced a total entry ban on Israeli citizens in a show of protest against what it describes as ongoing “acts of genocide” in Gaza and to demonstrate unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people.

President Mohamed Muizzu ratified the legislation after it was unanimously passed by the Maldives parliament on Tuesday. The president’s office issued a statement declaring that the move reflects the government’s “firm stance in response to the continuing atrocities and ongoing acts of genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people.”

“The Maldives reaffirms its resolute solidarity with the Palestinian cause,” the statement added.

The scope of the ban, including whether it will affect dual nationals with Israeli citizenship, remains unclear. However, officials confirmed that the restriction applies immediately to all of the country’s 1,192 coral islands.

This development follows previous warnings from Israeli authorities advising citizens against traveling to the Maldives due to rising anti-Israel sentiment after the October 7 Hamas attacks and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza.

In February, official data revealed that only 59 Israeli tourists visited the Maldives, out of a total of over 214,000 international arrivals.

The Maldives, where over 98 percent of its 530,000 citizens are Muslim, had previously banned Israeli tourists in the 1970s, lifted the restriction in the 1990s, and made limited efforts to re-establish diplomatic ties in 2010, which later stalled in 2012.

President Muizzu’s decision follows increasing domestic pressure from opposition parties and allied political groups urging the government to take a firmer stand against Israel over the Gaza conflict.