Israelis evacuated from Maldives resort over Gaza

Israeli holiday makers are evacuated from their Maldivian resort after one of them tore up an anti-Israeli placard equating the Nazi swastika to the Israeli flag, officials said Wednesday.

Some 30 Israeli surfers are moved out to safety from Thulusdhoo island, near the capital island of Male, as residents of the overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim archipelago protested the pulling down of anti-Israeli placards.

Tensions rose after an Israeli man tore down the placard bearing a swastika which had been pinned to a coconut tree.

A minister at the President’s Office, Mohamed Shareef, says the tourists were evacuated for their own safety.

“There could have been an ugly incident and that is why the tourists were evacuated from the resort,” Shareef told AFP by phone.

He says Israelis were not banned from entering the archipelago, better known for its upmarket tourism, but the Maldives was bitter with Israel over the violence.

“We have not banned them, but Israeli tourists must remember that they are visiting a 100 percent Muslim country,” Shareef says. “We unequivocally and unconditionally support the Palestinian cause.”

He says the Maldives had also put in place measures to express their opposition to Israel.

The Maldives this week began implementing a ban on Israeli-made goods and also abrogated three cooperation agreements on health, tourism and education.

— AFP