Bangladesh to restore ‘Except Israel’ clause on passports

History repeats itself once again, the pro-Pakistan Bangladesh government has made a historical decision to restore the words “except Israel” on its passports, reversing a policy introduced during the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The phrase would once again appear on ordinary Bangladeshi passports, reaffirming the country’s long-standing position of not recognising Israel.

Home Affairs Adviser of Bangladesh, Salahuddin Ahmed told local media that the restriction had already been reinstated on diplomatic passports and would now be applied more broadly.

According to officials from the Home Ministry and the Department of Immigration and Passports, the move reflects Bangladesh’s traditional support for the Palestinian cause, public sentiment, and what authorities described as the country’s “moral position”.

The wording had been removed in 2021 when the government led by Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League launched Bangladesh’s electronic passport program.

The e-passport project reportedly cost around Tk 4,500 crore, and the decision to drop the phrase drew strong criticism at the time.

The interim government had also moved to revive the restriction last year. On April 7, the Home Ministry of Bangladesh wrote a letter directing authorities to reintroduce the “except Israel” wording on passports. However, the decision was not fully enforced beyond diplomatic passports.

Bangladesh has never established diplomatic relations with Israel. Bangladeshi passports traditionally carried the statement that they were valid for travel to all countries of the world except Israel.

Authorities are also redesigning several passport watermark images. One of the proposed additions reportedly features Abu Sayeed, shown with his arms outstretched, an image associated with the July protest movement.

At the same time, several existing images are being removed, including the mausoleum of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Mujibnagar Memorial.