BANGKOK -- The Maldives is eyeing a ban on Israeli passport holders despite concerns for its tourism-dependent economy as public anger mounts in the Muslim-majority nation over the situation in Gaza.
A Maldivian parliamentary committee is reviewing a bill on the matter. Political insiders in Male, the capital, expect lawmakers on the security and services committee to echo the sentiments that emerged on Monday, when parliamentarians from across the divide spoke in favor of amending the country's immigration act during the preliminary debate. This rare show of bipartisanship was further mirrored by 88 lawmakers who voted unanimously to support the bill tabled by Meekail Naseem, a member of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party.
