Latest news with #People'sMajlis
Morocco World
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Maldives Bans Israeli Passport Holders in Support of Palestine
Rabat — On Tuesday, April 15, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu ratified the Third Amendment to the Maldives Immigration Act, following its passage by the People's Majlis—the country's unicameral legislative body—earlier that same day. 'The ratification reflects the Government's firm stance in response to the continuing atrocities and ongoing acts of genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people,' reads the official statement issued by the President's Office. Reiterating its steadfast support for Palestine, the Maldivian government reaffirmed its enduring commitment to defending Palestinian rights and demanding accountability for Israel's systematic violations of international law. The statement further stressed that Maldives backs the existence of a sovereign Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital, in alignment with United Nations resolutions and established international legal norms. The pre-1967 borders, also referred to as the 1949 Armistice border or the Green Line, upholds the territories prior to Israel's occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip during the Six-Day War. These borders represent the internationally recognized boundaries for a future Palestinian state. The original bill proposing a ban on Israeli passport holders was introduced by the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party in May 2023. After a series of revisions, it was passed nearly 300 days later. In December 2023, Israel issued a travel advisory against visiting the Maldives, citing a 'heightened anti-Israel atmosphere, including public comments by officials' in reference to the global outcry as the entity's genocidal campaign in Gaza was beginning to unfold. Official data shows that 11,000 Israeli citizens visited the Maldives in 2024, making up just 0.6% of total arrivals. More recent data recorded only 59 Israeli visitors in February of this year. Israel enforces a compulsory military draft requiring most Jewish citizens to serve in the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) from the age of 18, making the separation between the Israeli state and its civilian population functionally nonexistent. The IOF, comprised of these citizens, actively carries out the apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people. The settler-colonial nature of the Israeli state is further evident in the fact that its population exists on land stolen from Palestinians—while an estimated nine million Palestinians remain displaced across the globe. Tags: death toll in GazaIsrael war crimesMaldives news
Middle East Eye
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Maldives bans Israelis from entering country, in protest against Gaza's 'ongoing genocide'
The Maldives has banned Israelis from entering the country in protest against Israel's war on Gaza and in "resolute solidarity" with the Palestinian people. President Mohamed Muizzu signed the legislation on Monday after it was passed by the People's Majlis, the Maldivian parliament. Muizzu's cabinet initially decided to ban all Israeli passport holders from the idyllic island nation in June 2024 until Israel stops its attacks on Palestine, but progress on the legislation stalled. A bill was presented in May 2024 in the Maldivian parliament by Meekail Ahmed Naseem, a lawmaker from the main opposition, the Maldivian Democratic Party, which sought to amend the country's Immigration Act. The cabinet then decided to change the country's laws to ban Israeli passport holders, including dual citizens. After several amendments, it passed this week, over 300 days later. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "The ratification reflects the government's firm stance in response to the continuing atrocities and ongoing acts of genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people," Muizzu's office said in a statement. Gaza's health ministry said on Sunday that at least 1,613 Palestinians had been killed since 18 March, when a ceasefire collapsed, taking the overall death toll since Israel's war on Gaza began in October 2023 to 50,983. The ban goes into immediate effect. 'The Maldives reaffirms its resolute solidarity with the Palestinian cause,' the statement added. Last year, in response to talk of a ban, Israel's foreign ministry advised its citizens against travelling to the country. Chequered history The Maldives is an Islamic republic made up of 1,129 islands. It is considered one of the world's premier beach vacation destinations, known for its coral reefs, white sandy beaches and picturesque lagoons. This isn't the first time the Maldives has issued a travel ban on Israelis. The Maldives recognised Israel and established diplomatic relations after Israel became the third state to recognise the island nation in 1965 - but those were suspended in 1974. A ban on Israeli tourists from a previous era was lifted in the 1990s, and in 2009, Maldives and Israel signed several cooperation agreements to improve relations. However, in 2018, under new leadership, those agreements were severed, and the two countries have had rocky relations since then. In 2024, the country took in nearly two million tourists, with the top five arrivals from China, Italy, India, Russia, and the United Kingdom. Most tourist arrivals come from Europe (54 percent), and Asia and the Pacific are in second place with 35 percent of all arrivals. According to the Maldives Ministry of Tourism, 528 Israelis visited the country in the first quarter of 2024, down 89 percent from 4,644 in the first quarter of 2023. According to government data, over 200,000 tourists visited the Maldives this February, 59 of whom were Israeli.
Khaleej Times
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
The Maldives bans entry of Israelis in solidarity with Palestinians
The Maldives announced on Tuesday banning entry of Israelis into the luxury archipelago, in response to "the continuing atrocities and ongoing acts of genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people". The step comes as a new provision to the country's Immigration Act was introduced to expressly prohibit the entry of individuals holding Israeli passports into the territory of the Republic of Maldives. A statement from the Maldives' President Dr Mohamed Muizzu's office said that he has ratified the third amendment to the Maldives Immigration Act, following its passage by the People's Majlis. "The Government of Maldives reaffirms its resolute solidarity with the Palestinian cause and its enduring commitment to the promotion and protection of the rights of the Palestinian people," it said. "The Maldives continues to advocate for accountability for violations of international law and remains vocal across various international platforms in its condemnation of Israel's actions." Dr Muizzu has consistently reiterated the Maldives' principled support for the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and international legal norms. The Maldives, a tiny Islamic republic of more than 1,000 strategically located coral islets, is known for its secluded sandy white beaches, shallow turquoise lagoons and Robinson Crusoe-style getaways. The Indian Ocean nation said in June that it will ban Israelis from the luxury tourist hot spot. The Maldives had lifted a previous ban on Israeli tourists in the early 1990s and moved to restore relations in 2010. However, normalisation attempts were scuttled following the toppling of president Mohamed Nasheed in February 2012. Official data showed the number of Israelis visiting the Maldives dropped to 528 in the first four months of 2024, down 88 per cent compared to the corresponding period in 2023.
