Israeli passport holders are now banned from entering the Maldives, the small island nation in the Indian Ocean announced Tuesday.
The Maldivian government said the ban was passed in “resolute solidarity” with Palestinians due to the ongoing war in Gaza, according to Agence France-Presse.
“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,” President Mohamed Muizzu’s office said in a statement.
Plans to ban Israeli passport holders from the Maldives were first announced in June 2024, but the government reexamined the plan because many Palestinians hold Israeli passports as well.
The Maldives got around the issue by allowing people with dual citizenship to use non-Israeli documents to enter the country, Jewish News Syndicate reported.
Known best as a tourist destination southwest of India, the Maldives is a majority-Muslim nation that hasn’t had diplomatic ties with Israel since 1974. About 525,000 people live on the island chain.
In 2023, about 11,000 Israelis visited the Maldives, according to the country’s data. That number significantly declined in 2024. When the Maldives announced plans to ban Israeli passport holders last year, Israel responded by warning its citizens not to travel there.
The Maldives has previously banned Israeli tourists in the past but lifted the first prohibition in the 1990s.
