Maldives turning foe for India and Israel

Maldives, a small country with a population of around half a million people with Muslim majority, faces likely retaliation from India for supporting Palestinians. In this endeavor,  support of Israel can't be ruled out. While the probability of an assault is low, both the countries can follow the typical 'regime change' mantra of United States.

Maldives have suspended all relations with Israel – including imposing a ban on all Israeli products ‑ because of the atrocities committed against the people of Palestine. Lately, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said via Twitter that the people of Maldives stand in solidarity with Palestine.

If one can recall, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won the most votes and was sworn in as the Maldives new president in November 2018. There was also a change in foreign relations. His predecessor Abdulla Yameen was politically very close to China with some ‘anti-India’ attitude, but President Solih reaffirmed the previous ‘India-First Policy’ and Maldives and India strengthened their close relationship.

The spokesperson to the President, Mohamed Mabrook Azeez, added that the stance of Maldives was clear. “We stand against injustice and in solidarity with the Palestinian people’s struggle to secure their inalienable right to statehood,” Mabrook said.

He further said all relations between Maldives and Israel were now suspended, including the import of Israeli products. Import of most Israeli products was banned by Maldives since 2014. Only special medical products could be imported, and that require a special permit.

During the recent conflict in Palestine the Maldivian public showed their support for the Palestinian cause by using the colours of the Palestinian flag all over the island nation.

The public outcry to ban Israeli tourists from Maldives has also increased. An emergency motion was submitted to the Parliament by opposition party Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) member, Ahmed Shiyam, calling to ban Israeli tourists.

It is worth mentioning that The Maldives established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1965, as it was the third state to recognize Maldives. But Maldives suspended the ties in 1974.

In 2009, under President Mohamed Nasheed, Maldives signed cooperation agreements with Israel on tourism, health, education, and culture. In 2010, the Israeli government sent a team of eye doctors to treat patients and train local medical personnel in Maldives.

In May 2011, the Maldives’s then-foreign minister, Ahmed Naseem, became the first top official from the Maldives to visit Israel. However, the renewed relationship did not develop into full diplomatic relations.

But in July 2018, under President Abdulla Yameen, Maldives terminated the cooperation agreements with Israel.

In 2020, after UAE and Bahrain recognized Israel and it was reported the government had discussed establishing ties with Israel, but the Maldivian foreign minister denied having initiated discussions regarding establishing ties with Israel.