Washington is preparing to punish the Maldives for banning Israeli passport holders, citing Israel’s military actions in Gaza, with legislation that could cut off US assistance, led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer.

The Maldives has decided to prohibit Israeli passport holders from entering the nation owing to war crimes associated with Israel’s contentious military operations in Gaza, which has infuriated US politicians.

The state of the Indian Ocean archipelago is well-known for its opulent resorts and upscale vacation destinations situated along picturesque beaches. The government is working to amend national entrance legislation to prevent entry for holders of Israeli passports, the president’s office declared on Sunday.

However, US Congressmen are attempting to penalize the Maldives for the contentious action; Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) is crafting legislation that may cut off all help to the country with a majority of Muslims.

Gottheimer is “working with colleagues in both parties on the bill, which will be called the Protecting Allied Travel Here (PATH) Act,” according to Axios. Gottheimer has a long history of being a fervent and vocal defender of Israel.

The bill would tie US assistance to the Maldives to the country’s relaxation of its travel prohibition. Since it would prohibit present help, this would effectively constitute a form of sanctions.

“Taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be sent to a foreign nation that has banned all Israeli citizens from traveling to their country,” Gottheimer said in a statement.

He added: “Not only is Israel one of our greatest democratic allies, but the Maldives’ unprecedented travel ban is nothing but a blatant act of Jew-hatred. They shouldn’t get a cent of American dollars until they reverse course.”

However, the Maldivian government has portrayed itself as “in solidarity with Palestinians” in its anti-Israel actions. Israel was prohibited from using its ports by a docking ban that was put in place in December.

According to earlier reporting by The Times of Israel, “nearly 11,000 Israelis visited the country last year, accounting for 0.6 percent of the Maldives’ foreign tourist arrivals.”

Israeli passport holders are currently prohibited from entering 27 other Muslim-majority nations, many of which are found in the Middle East and North Africa.

Previously, GreatGameIndia reported that in a statement, the President of Maldives, Mohammed Muizzu, announced a ban on Israelis entering the country, citing the ongoing war in Gaza as the reason.