Bangladesh reintroduces 'except Israel' phrase on passports

DHAKA: Bangladesh has restored an “except Israel” inscription on passports, local media reported, effectively barring its citizens from travelling to that country.

Israel is a flashpoint issue in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, which does not recognise it.

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 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 Gaza war broke out after Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

A fragile ceasefire between the warring parties fell apart last month and Gaza’s health ministry said Sunday that at least 1,574 Palestinians had been killed since then, taking the overall death toll since the war began to 50,944.

Read More: Pakistan, Bangladesh to enhance cooperation in diverse sector

Earlier, Pakistan and Bangladesh agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.

The understanding was reached during a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Advisor for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, Md. Touhid Hossain, on the sidelines of the Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Jeddah.

This was their second meeting in less than five months.