The minuscule bleep from the President of the island nation of the Maldives to ban the entry of any Israeli passport holder to his country was likely ignored by everyone. But it should not be ignored.
Mali’s President Mohamed Muizzu officially banned all Israelis and dual-nationals from entering the Maldives. Permanently.
Israeli tourism levels to the Maldives are likely in the single digits. Even the jet-set Israeli adventure crowd has not discovered the Maldives, preferring exotic locations in East Asia to remote islands in South Asia. It is instructive to note that the Maldivian leader, whose economy depends almost entirely on luxury tourism, staked out a lane that is manifestly antisemitic and that supports efforts to Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) Israel.
America should turn the tables on him. The Treasury Department and the Department of State should take notice. American governors who have passed anti-BDS legislation in their states should take notice.
But there’s another thing that Americans should notice. The largest export from the Maldives is young terrorists who affiliate with Al Qaeda and ISIS. According to the Department of State, the Maldives is the world’s second-highest exporter of extremist combatants per capita. Rather than simply taking note, Treasury and the State Department should look at foreign terrorist funding flowing through the Maldives and consider sanctioning not just those involved in money laundering operations, but also the President himself who is implementing a policy that is anathema to American values and interests. A disproportionate number of Maldivian nationals have been sanctioned by Treasury, adding more to the list makes sense now. Raising the threat level for American travel to the Maldives is also in order.
If you are looking for a luxury getaway vacation, consider Eilat and Tel Aviv before supporting a malign, Jew-hating government in a far-away land. Mohamed Muizzu’s message should be heard loud and clear, and it should be punished economically.
