Parliamentary committee approves Israel passport ban

The parliamentary Security Services Committee, commonly known as the 241 Committee, has approved an amendment to ban entry into the Maldives for individuals holding Israeli passports, with the motion applying until military operations against Palestinians come to an end.

The decision was made during a committee meeting held on Monday, where members finalised amendments to a bill submitted by the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) over a year ago. The proposed amendment seeks to revise the Immigration Act to enforce the ban as a form of protest against actions by the Israeli government.

A motion, described as a personal proposal by committee member Mohamed Shahid, states: "Entry into the Maldives on Israeli passports is prohibited from 7 October 2023 until the actions being carried out by Israel against the Palestinian people come to an end."

The motion received unanimous support from committee members, including ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) MP Mohamed Ismail.

The original bill was introduced by MDP MP Meekail Naseem and aimed to ban the entry of Israeli citizens, regardless of whether they travelled on Israeli passports or not. However, amendments proposed by the Maldives Immigration office and endorsed by the committee narrowed the scope of the ban to individuals travelling specifically on Israeli passports.

Immigration authorities argued that enforcing a broader restriction against all Israeli citizens, including those holding dual citizenship, would be difficult, as their Israeli citizenship may not be evident on travel documents.

The finalised version of the amendment will be submitted to the full parliament for further debate and vote.