Israel has recommended that its citizens avoid travel to the Maldives. This comes after the Maldives government banned the entry of visitors with Israeli passports. The Israeli ministry said that this includes Israelis with dual citizenship.
The Israeli ministry said in a statement. “For Israeli citizens already in the country, it is recommended to consider leaving, because if they find themselves in distress for any reason, it will be difficult for us to assist.”
Meanwhile, a statement from the Maldives government said President Mohamed Muizzu made the decision after a recommendation from the Cabinet.
“The Cabinet decision includes amending necessary laws to prevent Israeli passport holders from entering the Maldives and establishing a Cabinet subcommittee to oversee these efforts.”
A total of 528 Israel nationals have visited the Maldives in the first four months of this year. This has dropped from 4,644 during the same period in 2023.
Israel had upgraded travel warnings for its citizens after the Oct 7 attacks. In December last year, the National Security Council (NSC) updated travel warnings for dozens of countries around the world. Several countries in Western Europe, and the United Kingdom were included. Argentina and Brazil were included in South America. Threat levels were raised to Level 2 in Australia and Russia. This recommends that Israelis take additional precautions while there.
A number of countries in Africa, including South Africa and Eritrea, and in central Asia, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan, were raised to Level 3, which recommends postponing nonessential travel.
The NSC recommended Israelis reconsider all travel abroad. It called on those who do need to travel overseas to avoid outward displays of their Jewish identities.
With inputs from Reuters and other agencies