Imposing a “blanket ban” to bar entry to the Maldives for any Israeli passport holder should be considered, Attorney General (AG) Ahmed Usham said on Thursday.
Responding to a question from a journalist during a press conference at the AG office, the AG said that the government’s stand has not changed. But “some people have concerns” about a blanket ban on the Israeli passport, he added.
“It is a big concern of some people that due to the way the bill has been proposed at present that there are a lot of Palestinian citizens who hold Israel’s passport, counting in the millions. So what would happen if we do a blanket ban, these are things that need to be thought about a little,” Usham said.
A solution would be found after taking such matters into consideration, he said.
A bill to ban the Israeli passport was not included in the government’s legislative agenda. Usham said the bill was not included because a bill on the same topic had been submitted to Parliament. That bill was proposed by Galolhu Dhekunu MP Meekail Naseem. At the last sitting of Parliament, the bill was accepted for consideration. It was accepted with the support of the supermajority of the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC).
