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US Congress Readying Legislation to Punish Maldives Over Israel Passport Ban
US Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) at a press conference in Bergenfield, New Jersey, US on June 5, 2023. Photo: Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto via Reuters Connect
The US Congress is preparing to take action against the Maldives over its recent decision to ban Israeli citizens from entering the country.
US Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), a staunch supporter of Israel, is spearheading legislation that would condition American aid to the Maldives on allowing Israeli citizens to enter the country, according to Axios.
The legislation, titled the Protecting Allied Travel Here (PATH) Act, comes as a response to the Maldives’ recent announcement that it would discriminate against Israeli passport holders over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
“Taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be sent to a foreign nation that has banned all Israeli citizens from traveling to their country,” Gottheimer said in a statement.
“Not only is Israel one of our greatest democratic allies, but the Maldives’ unprecedented travel ban is nothing but a blatant act of Jew hatred. They shouldn’t get a cent of American dollars until they reverse course,” Gottheimer continued.
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu drafted the policy after consulting with his cabinet, according to a statement released by Muizzu’s office. Muizzu also appointed a special envoy to “assess Palestinian needs.”
“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,” his office said in a statement. “The president decided to appoint a special envoy to assess Palestinian needs.”
The ban also positions the popular tourist destination alongside other members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). With this legislation, the Maldives joins Yemen, Kuwait, Iran, Bangladesh, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Algeria as countries that prevent Israeli nationals from entering their nation.
Last year, almost 11,000 Israelis traveled to the Maldives, making up 0.6 percent of all visitors, according to The Times of Israel.
The Maldives has long been criticized for its human rights record. The nation declares Sunni Islam as the state religion, and only Sunni Muslims are afforded citizenship. All Maldivians are required to teach their children Sunni Islam. Homosexuality is illegal in the Maldives and can be punished with imprisonment, fines, or lashings. The Maldives’ constitution states that “no law contrary to any principle of Islam can be applied.”
The post US Congress Readying Legislation to Punish Maldives Over Israel Passport Ban first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel Readies for a Nationwide Strike on Sunday
Demonstrators hold signs and pictures of hostages, as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas protest demanding the release of all hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Itai Ron
i24 News – The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza are calling on for a general strike to be held on Sunday in an effort to compel the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a deal with Hamas for the release of their loved ones and a ceasefire. According to Israeli officials, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, of whom 20 are believed to be alive.
The October 7 Council and other groups representing bereaved families of hostages and soldiers who fell since the start of the war declared they were “shutting down the country to save the soldiers and the hostages.”
While many businesses said they would join the strike, Israel’s largest labor federation, the Histadrut, has declined to participate.
Some of the country’s top educational institutions, including the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University, declared their support for the strike.
“We, the members of the university’s leadership, deans, and department heads, hereby announce that on Sunday, each and every one of us will participate in a personal strike as a profound expression of solidarity with the hostage families,” the Hebrew University’s deal wrote to students.
The day will begin at 6:29 AM, to commemorate the start of the October 7 attack, with the first installation at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. Further demonstrations are planned at dozens of traffic intersections.
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Netanyahu ‘Has Become a Problem,’Says Danish PM as She Calls for Russia-Style Sanctions Against Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the press on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
i24 News – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become a “problem,” his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen said Saturday, adding she would try to put pressure on Israel over the Gaza war.
“Netanyahu is now a problem in himself,” Frederiksen told Danish media, adding that the Israeli government is going “too far” and lashing out at the “absolutely appalling and catastrophic” humanitarian situation in Gaza and announced new homes in the West Bank.
“We are one of the countries that wants to increase pressure on Israel, but we have not yet obtained the support of EU members,” she said, specifying she referred to “political pressure, sanctions, whether against settlers, ministers, or even Israel as a whole.”
“We are not ruling anything out in advance. Just as with Russia, we are designing the sanctions to target where we believe they will have the greatest effect.”
The devastating war in Gaza began almost two years ago, with an incursion into Israel of thousands of Palestinian armed jihadists, who perpetrated the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
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As Alaska Summit Ends With No Apparent Progress, Zelensky to Meet Trump on Monday
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at the press conference after the opening session of Crimea Platform conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, 23 August 2023. The Crimea Platform – is an international consultation and coordination format initiated by Ukraine. OLEG PETRASYUK/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – After US President Donald Trump hailed the “great progress” made during a meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he was set to meet Trump on Monday at the White House.
“There were many, many points that we agreed on, most of them, I would say, a couple of big ones that we haven’t quite gotten there, but we’ve made some headway,” Trump told reporters during a joint press conference after the meeting.
Many observers noted, however, that the subsequent press conference was a relatively muted affair compared to the pomp and circumstance of the red carpet welcome, and the summit produced no tangible progress.
Trump and Putin spoke briefly, with neither taking questions, and offered general statements about an “understanding” and “progress.”
Putin, who spoke first, agreed with Trump’s long-repeated assertion that Russia never would have invaded Ukraine in 2022 had Trump been president instead of Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump said “many points were agreed to” and that “just a very few” issues were left to resolve, offering no specifics and making no reference to the ceasefire he’s been seeking.