Maldives aligns with Malaysia in call for ‘legitimate’ Palestinian state amid Gaza tensions

The Maldives on Monday joined Malaysia in reiterating its support for an independent Palestinian state, just two weeks after the island nation implemented an entry ban on Israeli passport holders in protest over the destruction of Gaza.

The Maldives parliament on April 14 barred entry to people travelling on Israeli passports “in response to the continuing atrocities and ongoing acts of genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people” its government said.

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu said the small Indian Ocean nation remained steadfast in support of the “legitimate quest for statehood” by Palestinians, who have been under an Israeli siege which has killed at least 52,000 people and displaced millions in Gaza.

“Palestinians deserve their own independent and sovereign state, based on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Mohamed said on Monday during an official visit to Malaysia, referring to boundaries before Israel expanded its occupied territories through the “Six-Day War”.

The South Asian island nation of about 530,000 people – which is dependent on tourism – suspended diplomatic ties with Israel 50 years ago and had previously denied entry to Israeli citizens until the ban was rescinded in the 1990s.

The Maldives now joins more than a dozen other nations – mostly members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) – that impose an outright ban on entry of travellers using Israeli passports.