The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised Israeli citizens who are presently staying in the Maldives to leave the country, after the Maldivian government’s announcement of a decision to amend its laws to ban Israeli nationals from entering on Sunday.
‘If Israelis who are presently in the Maldives encounter trouble, it will be difficult for us to assist them’, the Ministry said as per the media reports.
It also recommended that Israeli citizens refrain from travelling to the Muslim-majority island nation, even if they hold a second passport from another country.
The entry ban on Israelis was adopted during a Maldivian cabinet meeting earlier on Sunday in reply to calls from local citizens, citing the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.
The Maldives receives more than one million tourists annually, with an estimated 15,000 tourists coming from Israel.
The Maldives had lifted an old ban on Israeli citizens in the early 1990s. The country had also restored diplomatic relations in 2010. However, the attempts to normalise the relations ended with former president Mohamed Nasheed’s ouster from power in 2012, reported AFP.
Tourism is the mainstay of the Maldives’ economy. Israeli tourism to the country is down 88 % over the first four month of this year compared to the corresponding period last year.
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