'Goodbye Maldives'; Israel tells citizens to explore Lakshadweep and Kerala

NEW DELHI: It was just a few days back that Maldives decided to ban Israeli citizens from entering the country in solidarity with Palestine. The cinders of the unexpected diplomatic tension appeared amidst a worsening crisis in West Asia.

A cabinet meeting chaired by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu yesterday decided to amend the immigration laws to ban Israeli passport holders from entering the country. The rare decision comes after the country saw big protests from citizens demanding the ban on Israeli tourists.

However, the rare decision from Maldives has now extended an olive branch to the Indian archipelago of Lakshadweep. Jerusalem has asked its citizens to spend their vacations on Indian beaches. The Embassy of Israel in India has asked citizens to visit Lakshadweep and other beaches in India on its official X page.

“Since Maldives no longer welcomes Israelis, Israeli tourists can get to know some of the beautiful and amazing Indian beaches that are extremely hospitable. These recommendations are based on the places visited by our diplomats, you can check” - Israel Embassy in India wrote on X.

Images of Kerala, Goa, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands were shared on Embassy X. Israeli Consul General Kobbi Shoshani re-shared an ex-post tweet shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January.

Lakshadweep once turned the hot topic of discussion following PM Modi’s surprising visit to the archipelago, which invariably caused many ministers in Maldives to fume. Comparisons between Lakshadweep and Maldives were replete in social media tiffs, while the diplomatic relations got strained enough for Maldives to change allegiance to China.