The Maldives has condemned Israel’s continuing offensive on Gaza and called for an immediate cease-fire as Malé prepares for a Free Palestine Rally today.
“Israel must stop the invasion of Gaza, it should stop the killing, the airstrikes, and declare a cease-fire, and start dialogue with Palestine,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Dunya Maumoon said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, over 12,000 Maldivians have pledged to attend a Free Palestine Rally in Malé tonight. The event has received support from across the political spectrum.
Youth leaders of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), coalition partner Maldives Development Alliance (MDA), pro-government Jumhooree Party and Adhaalath Party and opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) held a joint press conference on Monday and called on supporters to attend the rally.
Event organizer, Hamna Waheed said the rally aims to show solidarity with the people of Palestine and opposition to the Israeli attacks on Gaza.
“There won’t be any speeches. We are gathering to express solidarity with Palestinian people, to stand against Israeli attacks on Gaza. We are standing just like many others around the world,” she said.
The march is to begin at 9:30 pm in front of the Social Center in Malé and will end at the Cricket Stadium with a prayer for the people of Gaza.
Organizers have requested supporters to wear black and white.
A rally is to be held in the country’s second most populous atoll Addu at 4:00 pm today.
Solidarity
While welcoming the UN Security Council’s call for a ceasefire, Dunya also said the council “needs to make stronger decisions as provided for by the UN Charter to stop Israeli aggression in Palestine.”
She also called on Israel to “heed the international community’s calls and respect international humanitarian law” and demanded the international community intensify efforts to cease the violence in Gaza.
Urging the international community to find a stable and lasting solution to the crisis, Dunya reiterated Maldives’ support for a two state solution through dialogue.
Opposition MP and former Speaker of the Parliament Abdulla Shahid has urged the government to use Maldives’ position in the UN Human Rights Council to act against the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
President Abdulla Yameen phoned Palestinian President Dr Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday and condemned “Israel’s inhuman actions in killing many innocent citizens of Palestine.”
Yameen pledged to do all necessary in the international arena to aid Palestinians.
Abbas thanked Yameen for the call and thanked the people of Maldives for their solidarity with Palestine, the President’s Office said.
Opposition rally
The government’s reaction came after opposition criticism over inaction.
On July 10, opposition leader and former President Mohamed Nasheed called on all human rights defenders to raise their voice against “indiscriminate killings in Gaza” and requested all Maldivian to speak out against Israel’s “inhumane acts in Gaza.”
MDP’s national council held a rally on July 12 in Malé protesting the attacks on Gaza and condemning the government’s silence on the matter.
Subsequently, Minister of Home Affairs Umar Naseer has requested the Commissioner of Police to investigate and prosecute protesters who gathered near Islamic Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed’s residence during the rally.
The Freedom of Assembly Act, enacted following the controversial power transfer of 2011, prohibits protests against individuals at their private residences, the Home Ministry said.
Twitter exchange
Opposition leaders and supporters have also criticised the religious Adhaalath Party for failing to mention the conflict during the sermon in Friday prayers on July 11.
Shaheem responded in a tweet on the same day stating the sermon included a general prayer for victory over enemies of Muslims and on July 13 said a special prayer for Palestine will be included in the sermon on July 18.
The Adhaalath Party – of which the Islamic minister Shaheem is a member – also announced the establishment of a Gaza Relief Fund on July 12.
Nasheed in a tweet on the same day said it is “unwise” to donate for a fund established by Adhaalath Party without receiving the expenditure details of the “Mosque Fund” set up by the Islamic Ministry.
A heated exchange ensued on Twitter, with Shaheem claiming the fund’s expenditures were shared with the People’s Malis and media, and implied Nasheed had left the country to avoid the MDP’s rally that night.
“Nasheed cannot tolerate any action against the Jews in Maldives,” he said.
Nasheed accused Shaheem of lying and said he had left the country on an emergency medical trip on July 7, three days before the call for protest.
According to figures publicised by Shaheem, the Mosque Fund received MVR 21.5 million in donations and spent MVR 14.9 million as of July 2013.
Nasheed on Monday said the MDP is ready to go defend Gaza, and said he believed there is no reason that Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) should not go to Gaza in Palestinian’s defence.
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Fast forward.....
Nasheed can not gather people on the roads like they used way back in 2008 now and that is why they used " Palestine " as a tool to bring people.
If MDP was genuinely concerned on Palestine people, why did Nasheed did not allow to vote in favor of Palestine when he was in power ?
If MDP wanted to a genuine rally, why they had go and shout at Shaeem house ?
Nasheed will never support Muslims and he hates Islam and his speech in Denmark is proof of this .
All the tweets Nasheed has made with regard to Palestine is in Dhivehi ? Why he can not tweet in English ? Because them Israel and British will know exactly what is written there and Nasheed can not do that in front of Israel and UK.
Nasheed mocking MNDF
I cannot see how the troubles in Palestine concern you......political instability, civil strife and sectarianism are quite usual in muslim countries.....are you going to get involved in the chaos of Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Terroristan too?
Why is it that Muslims cannot live with their neighbours or indeed with each other?
Get your priorities right.
Gaza death toll is less than a thousand.
Syria death toll over 170,000.
African civil wars, malnutrition... Death toll continuing.
Men, women and babies... Dying in all of them.
It's not races, religions, colours... It's humans. All deserve help.
Peace for Palestine is very simple and the only option on the table for free and peaceful Palestine is simply accept existence of Israel by Arabs and Muslims world. Maldives, especially Adaalath should engage in a dialog with Arabs and Muslims world to give up their stance of wiping out Israeli from the face of earth and let Israelis live where they are now
After all Jewish people are also human being and Arabs have enough land to live so why can’t they give this portion of land to Jewish people. If Palestine give up arms and accept Jewish people as their brothers in faith and stop blood bath, tomorrow you will have peace in Palestine. Even Israel will help Palatine to develop and resettle all Palestine refugees elsewhere. It is emotionally hard to compromise for such sensitive case in a situation where people’s ego is shattered but what else you can do now, there is no way you can wipe out Israel and if you throw stone to them they will throw bombs, you can kill one person by a stone but you can kill thousands by a missiles.
It seems MDP is now desperate to get popularity locally, but the sad thing is everybody knows that MDP leadership is not a hater of Israel and joining the rally against Israel is not going to boost MDP popularity. When the warring two parties are equally responsible for the blood bath, it is OK not to be sympathetic to any party. Arab Israeli conflict is something any outsider can do to help other than wait for a day sun to rise from the west and the minds of these conflicted people get rewired so they can come up with sensible solution to their problem. The world will neither help to carry out genocide to wipe out Israel nor will agree on killing of innocent Palestinian, so the game of blaming will go on but the ultimate solution is in Palestine’s hand.
have you had rallies like this against boko haram atrocities in nigeria
Since not much seems to be happening in your boring country.....what about rampaging through the streets of Male to protest against Muslims killing Muslims in Muslim lands?
If god want
Palestine free soon.
"Free Free Palestine"