By Poorna Rodrigo
Male, 01 October, (Asiantribune.com):
The Maldives’ landmark decision to renew ties with Israel has put the country on the path of danger, prompting Al-Qaeda attacks on the “thinly guarded” island nation, a key parliamentarian warned.
‘I am most worried about a clear danger it poses from religious extremist outfits like the Al-Qaeda or its satellite versions operating on the Indian subcontinent,” independent parliamentarian, legal expert and former Information Minister Mohamed Nasheed has written in his blog post.
The Maldives is a hundred percent Muslim nation that had cut off relations with Israel due to their alleged atrocities towards the Palestinians.
But signaling a major shift in its foreign policy, President Mohamed Nasheed announced a decision to renew ties with Israel, making a crucial speech from the UN podium of the General Assembly.
And at home, the announcement ran into protest, with the religious Adhaalath party who backed Nasheed’s presidency last November and now part of his coalition government, protesting the decision.
Ex- Minister of Gayoom’s administration and the South Kulhudhufushi member to parliament who is incidentally the name sake of President Mohamed Nasheed too said the decision is “not free from risks.”
He called the move “a strategic turning point” for the Maldives.
“There is the political backlash that the President’s administration would suffer at home given the grassroots unfailing regard for the Palestinian people and their stubborn anger towards the Israelis,” warned Parliamentarian Nasheed who contested the May general election on an independent ticket.
The Maldives largely known as a tourist hotspot saw its first ever bomb blast in September 2007. The explosion in the Capital Male’ by religious extremists groups, injured12 tourists.
Nasheed pointed out that the sudden renewal of ties with Israel at a time when there is a right wing leader in power makes it all the more dangerous to the Maldives.
It will “most certainly invite attention of some dangerous elements spread across the globe hell bent on disrupting, destroying and dismantling the Jewish state or their allies,” Naheed has said.
He argues: “That makes the Maldives – a string of low lying, sparsely populated and thinly guarded islands – already vulnerable to foreign aggression – more susceptible to such threats of extremist hostilities.”
Security apart, Nasheed said the decision could have an economic fallout too.
“Maldives also risks the middle-eastern Arab lobby writing off future investment in or assistance to the Maldives,” he wrote.
Nasheed argued that renewing ties with Israel “does not serve our national interest.”
He also elaborately detailed the possible reasons to the government decision.
“One argument is simply the presence and power of the strong Jewish lobby.’ He said the government may “tap into the huge Jewish lobby that has access to large amounts of funds or funding opportunities across the globe.”
With a battered economy the move “could perhaps open up opportunities from sources other than the more traditional institutions like the IMF, World Bank, or the Asian Development Bank.”
He added: “The Jewish lobby could also prove to be an effective catalyst for American and European financial institutions to look at the Maldives with a deeper interest than they may have at present.”
Nasheed then called it a “compelling coincidence” that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton too has called on Arab nations to renew their ties with Israel, just few days ago.
However Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, the Special Envoy of the President has strongly defended the government’s renewed ties with Israel.
Zaki called it a foreign policy decision by the President taking into account the realities of current “geopolitics and present day international relations.”
“We need not be more Arab than Arabs themselves and that Arab nations too have diplomatic relations with Israel,” Zaki was quoted as saying in media reports.
On Monday, President Nasheed returned home from New York to a warm welcome after a much hailed speech on climate change.
And he also faced a barrage of questions from reporters on the renewed Maldives-Israel ties.
“Severing relations with an individual was one the most extreme acts. Severing relations with a state is an even more extreme measure,” President’s office said today quoting Nasheed’s response to reporters at a news conference held in the Hulhule’ International airport, on his return.
He even promised to use its relationship with Israel “towards the establishment of a Palestinian homeland.”
The President took pains to defend the decision saying it did not mean the Maldives condoned Israel’s actions.
“Israel has to respect all UN Security Council resolutions. We will not advocate on behalf of Israel,” the President was quoted as saying in Minivan News.
President Nasheed referred to many articles he wrote during student days condemning Israeli aggression against the Palestine people.
“Palestine recognises Israel. Why should we not?” he said. “Is there any reason for us not to recognise Israel?” the President was quoted as saying in the same article.
He urged Maldivians to “trust him on this decision and that it would be in the best interests of the country,” it added.
No comments:
Post a Comment