Male, Amid growing public anger in the country over the devastating attacks by Israeli forces on Gaza, the Maldives government on Sunday decided to amend laws to ban Israeli passport holders from entering the Indian Ocean archipelago.
The decision was announced by Interior Minister Ali Ihusan at an emergency press briefing at the President's Office, news portal Sun.mv reports.
"The Cabinet today decided to quickly make the necessary legal amendments to ban entry into the Maldives on Israeli passports," he said.
The news portal said the Cabinet has constituted a special committee of ministers to speed up the process.
More than one million tourists visit the Maldives every year. This includes about 15,000 tourists from Israel.
The Cabinet also decided to appoint a Special Presidential Envoy to identify areas in which Palestine needs support from the Maldives and the Palestinians through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). It was decided to organize fund raising events to help the
The cabinet has decided to ban Israeli passports, but the actual implementation of the decision will require legal reforms, the news portal reported.
According to Israeli officials, the Gaza conflict began on 7 October when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing more than 800 people and capturing 240 hostages.
Israel has launched a massive counteroffensive against the Palestinian militant group that has ruled Gaza since 2007. More than 36,000 people, including women and children, have been killed in Gaza in the Israeli crackdown, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The decision was announced by Interior Minister Ali Ihusan at an emergency press briefing at the President's Office, news portal Sun.mv reports.
"The Cabinet today decided to quickly make the necessary legal amendments to ban entry into the Maldives on Israeli passports," he said.
The news portal said the Cabinet has constituted a special committee of ministers to speed up the process.
More than one million tourists visit the Maldives every year. This includes about 15,000 tourists from Israel.
The Cabinet also decided to appoint a Special Presidential Envoy to identify areas in which Palestine needs support from the Maldives and the Palestinians through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). It was decided to organize fund raising events to help the
The cabinet has decided to ban Israeli passports, but the actual implementation of the decision will require legal reforms, the news portal reported.
According to Israeli officials, the Gaza conflict began on 7 October when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing more than 800 people and capturing 240 hostages.
Israel has launched a massive counteroffensive against the Palestinian militant group that has ruled Gaza since 2007. More than 36,000 people, including women and children, have been killed in Gaza in the Israeli crackdown, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
