"This Muslim country, which used to have conflicts with India, has now clashed with Israel and has banned entry to the country."

Israel Travel Ban: To put pressure on Israel, Maldives has imposed a travel ban on Israeli citizens. Which Tel Aviv has also instructed Israelis holding dual citizenship to avoid going to the Maldives.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Image Credit: AFP

Many big Muslim countries have not taken any steps to put pressure on Israel in the Gaza war. But some small countries have not only condemned Israel but have also taken many big steps against it. Maldives, a small Asian country, has announced that it will ban the entry of Israeli citizens into its borders. After which Israel's Foreign Ministry has instructed its citizens to avoid traveling to Maldives. This instruction has been given to Israelis who have dual citizenship.

The Foreign Ministry says, "Israeli citizens with dual citizenship should avoid traveling to Maldives. If they get into any trouble, we may find it difficult to help them at such a time." After the increasing deaths in the Gaza war, there is a lot of anger against Israel in Maldives.

Maldives imposed a travel ban

After the war between Israel and Palestine broke out last year, a Maldives MP Nasheed Abdullah presented a proposal in November to ban travel to Israel. In this proposal, the government was asked to ban the entry of citizens holding Israeli passports into the country. Now the Maldives government has banned the travel of Israelis. According to news agency AP, Maldives has taken this decision after growing anger against Israel among the public. After Israel's increasing aggression, many Palestinian-supported demonstrations have been seen in Maldives.

Last year, about 11 thousand Israeli citizens visited Maldives. The population of Maldives is more than 5 lakh and every year about 17 lakh tourists from all over the world visit Maldives. The basic religion of Maldives is Islam and 98 percent of the population here is Muslim. The largest number of tourists visiting here are Indians.

Relations were broken in 2014

In 2022, an Israeli diplomatic source claimed that Israel would restore relations with the Maldives. In 1974, the Maldives broke diplomatic relations with Israel. But even after that, some trade was taking place between Israel and the Maldives. After the Israel-Hamas war in 2014, the Maldives completely ended relations with Israel and banned all its imports.

The aim is to put pressure on Israel

Maldives is a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and has imposed similar restrictions on Israel after the war. While proposing the travel ban, Nasheed Abdullah said, "The bill aims to put pressure on Israel through a travel ban to stop the genocide being committed against the people of Gaza and Palestine." Abdullah also said that Maldives should ban Israeli arrivals because the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), of which Maldives is a member, has also imposed a similar ban.

There was bitterness in relations with India

Relations between India and Maldives have always been good, but after Mohammed Muizzu came to power last year, relations between India and Maldives have deteriorated. During his election campaign, Muizzu gave the slogan 'India Out'. Muizzu has been inclined towards China and recently his government has sent back the Indian soldiers stationed in Maldives to India.