Bangladesh has reinstated the “except Israel” inscription on its passports after four years, effectively prohibiting its citizens from traveling to Israel, local media reported on Sunday.
Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation of 170 million people, maintains no diplomatic relations with Israel and officially supports an independent Palestine. However, Bangladesh maintains strong security and economic ties with Israel. Bangladesh exported more than $300 million of ready-made garments and apparel to Israel through Turkey, UAE, Singapore, and Cyprus. Bangladeshi DGFI also purchased spyware from Israeli companies.
Israel is a flashpoint issue in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, which does not recognise it, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
The phrase “valid for all countries except Israel,” which was printed on Bangladeshi passports for decades, was removed during the later years of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s tenure.
Nilima Afroze, a deputy secretary at the home ministry, told Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) news agency on Sunday that authorities had “issued a directive last week” to restore the inscription.
“The director general of the department of immigration and passport was asked to take necessary measures to implement this change,” local newspaper The Daily Star quoted Afroze as saying Sunday.
In 2021, the words “except Israel” were removed from passports, although the then government under Hasina clarified that the country’s stance on Israel had not changed.
The home ministry issued a directive asking the passport and immigration department to reinstate the sentence “THIS PASSPORT IS VALID FOR ALL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD EXCEPT ISRAEL” in the official travel permits for citizens visiting abroad, the state-run BSS news agency reported.
The country’s support for an independent Palestinian state was visible on Saturday when around 100,000 people gathered in Dhaka in solidarity with Gaza.
The main protest was held in central Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Udyan near the premier Dhaka University and many among them beat the images of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing them of backing Israel.
Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party and right-wing Islamic groups and parties expressed solidarity with the rally.
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