The antisemitic country of Maldives has been forced to “rethink” its ban on Israelis. The country’s ban on Israeli tourists is unlikely to be a “blanket ban” on all Israeli citizens, according to Attorney General Ahmed Usham.
In an embarrassing move, the government has decided to amend the initial ban, due to concerns over Arab Muslim or Palestinian citizens of Israel, who were included in the initial ban. “There are a lot of Palestinian citizens who hold the Israeli passport, counting in the millions. So what would happen if we do a blanket ban like that, these are matters we should think about a little,” the Attorney General said.
Usham walked back the ban in a press conference last week, due to the millions of Palestinians with Israeli passports.
Pressed by journalists, Usham denied that the government has reversed its stance. But the Maldives could face legal “complications” if the bill is passed in its current form to prohibit entry to Israelis with dual citizenship or diplomatic passports, he said.
The proposed ban appears to reflect the will of the Maldivian people, an ostensibly 100 percent Sunni Muslim population that has long sympathized with the plight of Palestinian refugees. The government’s decision came after months of fundraising efforts and demonstrations calling for a ban on Israeli tourists.
It is heavily ironic that it is due to Israel’s overwhelming Democratic inclusivity, and its generous treatment of Arabs and even its enemies, which has resulted in millions of Arabs holding Israeli passports.
1 comment:
Will Maldives have to have a beth-Din to figure out who is a Jew or not?
Will only halachic Jews be excluded or even Reform etc.? What about Chasiddim who don't hold of the שיטה - will that be ok?
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