Columns

The recent arrest and detention of two young Sri Lankan men — Mohamed Rushdi and Mohamed Suhail — under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) has sparked outrage and raised serious questions about the direction of Sri Lanka’s foreign policy. Their “crime”? Peacefully expressing opposition to the brutal and well-documented atrocities being committed in Gaza by Israeli forces.

This incident is not just a grave violation of their human rights. It is symptomatic of a larger and deeply troubling trend: Sri Lanka’s gradual but steady departure from its historically principled stand on the Palestinian cause — a retreat that has serious implications, not just for justice and international solidarity, but for the welfare and dignity of the country’s own citizens. 

A proud legacy of solidarity

Sri Lanka’s relationship with the Palestinian cause is rooted in a history of anti-colonial struggle, moral leadership, and solidarity with oppressed peoples. Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike stood firmly against Israeli aggression during the 1956 Suez crisis and shaped a foreign policy that championed the rights of nations under siege. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the world’s first woman Prime Minister went even further: one of the first acts of her 1970 government was to sever diplomatic ties with Israel, recognising its repeated violations of international law and its dispossession of the Palestinian people.

During those days, Sri Lanka was respected not just for what it said, but for what it did. It stood shoulder to shoulder with the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), advocating for a fairer, multipolar world order that held powerful nations accountable. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat once declared that Sri Lanka “had no oil, but it had moral authority,” underscoring the power of principled foreign policy.

Thereafter PresidentR. Premadasa closed the Israeli Interest Section in Colombo in 1990 after his predecessor J. R. Jayewardene had quietly re established ties with Israel in the early 1980s.

For decades, Sri Lanka maintained its integrity on this issue, winning the respect and goodwill of nations across the Global South — particularly in the Arab and Muslim world.

The slide toward complicity

That legacy has eroded sharply in recent years. While former President Mahinda Rajapaksa spoke often of his support for the Palestinian cause, his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa followed a dramatically different path prompting former Diplomat Dayan Jayatilleka to famously describe the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as “Israeli-occupied territory” — a damning indictment of how far Sri Lanka had moved from its non-aligned roots.

Under the Ranil Wickremesinghe Presidency the Government soft pedalled the atrocities in Gaza by avoiding any criticism of Israel by name.

This silence is not neutral. It is complicity.

Under the current administration, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Sri Lanka’s position remains ambivalent at best. While statements of concern about Gaza are occasionally issued, they are diluted to the point of meaninglessness, with the government deliberately avoiding direct reference to Israel’s actions.

Even more troubling is the economic and diplomatic rationale being used to justify this stance — particularly the prioritisation of foreign remittances through the export of Sri Lankan labour to Israel. Former minister Manusha Nanayakkara aggressively promoted this policy, sending Sri Lankan caregivers and workers into a nation actively engaged in a military campaign that has drawn global condemnation.

There are credible reports that many Israeli tourists arriving in Sri Lanka are actually soldiers on leave from the Gaza frontlines — a grotesque irony given that two Sri Lankan youths have been jailed for daring to criticise the very operations these tourists were likely involved in. Simultaneously, authorities turn a blind eye to overstaying Israeli tourists, illegal businesses, and unregistered Chabad houses operating in Sri Lanka — establishments that often function outside the purview of local regulation and tax oversight.

What message does this send to the world, and more importantly, to our own citizens?

The arrests that demand answers

The arrests of Mohamed Rushdi and Mohamed Suhail are chilling not only for the violation of their basic rights, but for what they signify. That two young men — both in their early 20s — can be detained under a law as notorious as the Prevention of Terrorism Act simply for expressing solidarity with the people of Gaza, raises profound questions about Sri Lanka’s commitment to democracy and justice.

These arrests are in sharp contrast to the leniency shown toward foreign nationals breaking visa conditions and conducting illegal commercial activity. Are Sri Lankans to believe that Israeli business interests, however unregulated or unlawful, are more sacrosanct than the right of a citizen to express political dissent?

If the PTA — long criticized both domestically and internationally for its arbitrary and abusive application — is now being weaponized against peaceful protestors, it becomes not just a tool of repression, but a symbol of moral cowardice.

What is at stake

This is no longer a question of foreign policy in the abstract. It is about who we are as a nation, and what we are willing to tolerate in the name of economic or diplomatic convenience.

Justice demands that Sri Lanka realign itself with the Palestinian cause, particularly at a time when the world is waking up to the severity of the crisis in Gaza. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has acknowledged the plausibility of genocide, while human rights organizations have documented war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure.

The Maldives, a fellow South Asian nation, has taken a bold stand by banning Israeli tourists in protest. Their decision may have economic implications, but it has garnered them moral authority — the kind Sri Lanka once had, and must regain.

While the news that Sri Lanka has co-signed the letter defending UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese and protesting the U.S. sanctions on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese is welcome, it would have been equally or more gratifying if Sri Lanka had participated in the Hague Group meeting of 30 countries on July 15 and 16, 2025 to coordinate concrete international legal and political action to end the Genocide in Gaza.

Moreover, from a pragmatic standpoint, Sri Lanka risks alienating a significant portion of the Muslim world — including nations that have been critical sources of employment, investment, and diplomatic support. Abandoning the Palestinian cause not only isolates Sri Lanka morally, but potentially undermines its long-term national interests.

A call for course correction

Sri Lanka must take immediate steps to correct its foreign policy stance on Israel and Palestine. This includes:

1. Calling out Israeli actions in Gaza by name, and unequivocally condemning the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure.

2. Reviewing and potentially suspending labor export agreements with Israel, especially in light of ethical and safety concerns.

3. Investigating and regulating illegal business activities by foreign nationals, including overstaying tourists and unlicensed religious centers.

4. Ensuring that the PTA is never again used to silence peaceful dissent.

5. Stand in solidarity with oppressed peoples worldwide, including Palestinians.

Sri Lanka must decide whether it wishes to remain a silent partner in crimes against humanity or return to its proud tradition of standing up for justice, dignity, and self-determination. The world is watching — and so are Sri Lanka’s own citizens.

Now is the time for courage. Now is the time for clarity. (javidyusuf@gmail.com)