Work on Israel passport ban bill to begin, 153 days after sent to committee

Work has begun to complete work “as soon as possible” on a bill submitted to the Parliament to change Maldives’ laws to ban entries on Israeli passports, says Ibrahim Falah, the leader of the main ruling People’s National Congress (PNC)’s parliamentary group.

The bill, which sets down amendments to the Immigration Act, was sent to the National Security Services (241) Committee for review with a unanimous vote on 88 on June 10.

But work on the bill had remained stalled in the five months since.

Falah told Sun on Sunday afternoon work on the bill has been set in the committee’s agenda.

He said the committee will review the bill and seek comment from relevant stakeholders.

Sunday marks 153 days since the bill was sent to the committee.

When questioned about the delay in the bill, Falah told Sun that they were engaged in discussions regarding the bill. He said that there were also other bills that had been delayed for far longer.

“Other than this amendment to Immigration Act, there are also other important government bills which have remained stymied in the committee stage for far longer…. The thing is, committees may take considerable time to discuss important aspects of important bills. This is one of our top priorities,” he said.

 Falah said that one of the first things the committee will do is to decide a timeline for completing the work on the bill. He said the committee will also review and make necessary amendments to it.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s cabinet made the decision to make legislative changes to ban Israeli passports on June 2.

At the time, the Parliament had already received a bill from Meekail, seeking a blanket ban on travelers with Israeli passports.

Following the cabinet’s decision, the main ruling PNC decided to accept the bill into the Parliament, and make the changes the government wants during the committee stage.

Meekail’s bill is designed to add a clause to Article 8 of Immigration Act, which lists individuals who are barred from entering the Maldives.

It seeks to bar the entry of all Israeli passport holders, including those who have dual citizenship.

However, Attorney General Usham said that a blanket ban on all Israeli citizens could create certain “complications.” He said that his office would submit amendments to the bill.

Mounting outrage over the atrocities in Gaza and other occupied Palestinian territories have sparked protests in the streets of the capital, Male’ City, with Maldivians demanding that the government ban Israeli citizens from entering the country.

Israel’s current war on Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023, has killed more than 43,600 Palestinians, many of them women and children. It has also reduced much of the Palestinian territory to rubble, displaced the vast majority of residents, and resulted in widespread malnutrition. The war has now expanded to neighboring Lebanon.