Housing Minister Muththalib releases list of measures to prevent 'Jewish population' in Rasmalé

Housing Minister Dr Abdulla Muththalib has released a list of measures the government will take to prevent allegations of a 'Jewish population' being established in Rasmalé, rejecting claims linked to the project run in Rasmalé with UAE's Eagle Hills as false. According to the article, Muththalib published the list today after dismissing claims by some political parties that the project is aimed at establishing a Jewish population in the Maldives. In a statement published in English on LinkedIn, the minister said fears that a Jewish population would be 'created' in Rasmalé are baseless. Muththalib said a large part of the concerns expressed against the Rasmalé project are not about how land is priced or lease policies; those concerns are about Palestine. The suffering being experienced by Palestinians, he said, deeply affects all Maldivians without exception. The minister said those concerns must be answered directly and cannot be left unaddressed. He detailed special measures to ensure no Israeli interest enters the Rasmalé project: - Israeli participation banned at any stage of property purchase or sale: as buyer, beneficial owner, shareholder or financier, no Israeli citizen or company controlled by that country can participate. - Mandatory disclosure of all nationalities and confiscation: every buyer must clearly disclose all countries to which they are affiliated. If any information is concealed, the agreement will be cancelled immediately and the property and money confiscated to the state. - No permanent residency: under the Corporate Residence Visa, Israeli passports are banned and stringent screening is carried out; no permanent residency or citizenship will be granted under any arrangement of the Rasmalé project. - Freehold land ownership reserved for Maldivians: no part of Rasmalé will be given to any foreign party under the freehold principle, and no space will be granted under perpetual lease either. - Priority for Maldivian citizens: under every step of the project, Maldivians will be given the first opportunity to buy built housing units in Maldivian rufiyaa. The article also notes that Eagle Hills, described as one of the UAE's most prominent companies, signed with the Maldivian government on 21 September in the UAE to develop and operate a marina in Rasmalé. Muththalib said the 'Zionism Project' is historically a movement to settle Jews in Palestinian lands. He noted the entire movement's aim is to bring Jews from other countries and settle them in Palestine. 'Israel's settlements have been spread by seizing [land] by force and maintaining areas under force. [Those are] occupied Palestinian lands and the highlands of Golan and Sinai [Sahara], before returning to Egypt,' Muththalib said in the statement. He also said no place has been reported as seized through foreigners buying homes as 'second homes' and long-term leases in a sovereign country that independently monitors its borders and controls visas and land. 'While the world has seen this, speaking differently and creating a fear that does not exist. And that act is exploiting the sacrifices of Palestinians and the feelings of Maldivians unfairly, without regard for Palestinians, for political gain,' Muththalib said. He pointed to the ban on Israeli passports in the Maldives as a second reason there is no fear that a Jewish population could be established in the Maldives. He said it was a step no previous government had taken, and this government took it while facing challenges. 'The same government [the government that banned Israeli passports] secretly compromising that policy through a property deal is a claim with no weight,' Muththalib said. He also noted Eagle Hills has said it will abide by Maldivian laws. The minister said the Maldives has banned Israeli passports, not the arrival of Israelis; with other countries' passports, Israelis still have the opportunity to come to any resort in the Maldives. Therefore, he noted, it is not an opportunity that would be created only by Rasmalé.