TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Maldives banned Israeli citizens from entering its territory on Sunday, June 2, amid growing public anger over Israel's genocide in Gaza. The Indian Ocean archipelago is known for its white sand beaches and luxury resorts.

“President Mohamed Muizzu has resolved to impose a ban on Israeli passports,” a government spokesman said in a statement. However, he did not provide details as to when the ban would take effect.

Muizzu also announced a national fundraising campaign dubbed “Maldivians in Solidarity with Palestine”. Nearly 11,000 Israelis visited the Muslim-majority country last year, or 0.6 percent of total tourist visits.

In the first four months of this year, the number of Israeli tourist visits plummeted to 528, an 88 percent drop from the same period last year, according to official government data.

The opposition parties and government allies in Maldives have pressured Muizzu to ban Israelis as a sign of protest against the Israeli atrocities in Gaza, where at least 36,439 Palestinians have been killed and 82,627 others injured since October 7.

In the early 1990s, Maldives revoked the ban on the entry of Israeli tourists and attempted to restore relations in 2010. However, the normalization efforts were put on hold following the forced resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed in February 2012.

Israeli passport holders are also barred from entering Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen.

Israel wrote on its X (formerly Twitter) account in March, “We’re good,” in response to a post about these countries’ entry bans, which have been in place prior to the onset of the ongoing assault on Gaza.

SITA PLANASARI | ALJAZEERA | ABC NEWS

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