The dark side of the Maldives

With tourism responsible for 90 percent of tax revenue, the Maldives is keen to welcome international visitors. Every year the tiny island nation (population 524,000, about the size of Manchester) spends tens of millions to promote itself with one simple message: come in - if you can afford it.

Now that offer comes with a caveat: no Israelis allowed. This weekend, Mohamed Muizzu, the country's sixth elected president, announced to the world that his government would pass new legislation to ban anyone from entering the Maldives with an Israeli passport.

The move is part of Muizzu's broader effort to strengthen ...