ISLAMABAD- Bangladesh on Monday ruled out establishing diplomatic relationswith Israel amid widespread criticism for a recent change to its passports.
Citing the need to uphold international standards, the government recentlyremoved the words “this passport valid except for Israel.”
Information Minister Hasan Mahmud told reporters in the capital Dhaka thatthe recent “change in the passport was made in line with international law,and there is nothing for Israel to rejoice in this.”
He said that no matter what the passports say, mutual visits are banned.
“We don’t have any diplomatic relations with Israel and this will remainthe same in the future. Israel will be banned or closed for Bangladeshicitizens and it will be the same for the people with Israeli passports fortraveling to Bangladesh,” he said.
He also reiterated Bangladesh’s stance on the Palestinian people, sayingthat its position on Israel has become more integrated with the recentaggression against innocent Palestinians.
Since the South Asian Muslim majority country came into being in 1971, ithas openly affirmed its position in favor of Palestine and against theIsraeli oppression in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Meanwhile, the Secretary General of the country’s main oppositionBangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, called thegovernment’s decision to remove the words “Israel” from passports an”unprincipled position.”
At a press conference, he claimed that the government changed the traveldocument ban at a time when Israeli forces were brutally attackingPalestinians.
He said the government made the changes to appease “external forces.”
Passport change
The deletion of the words “this passport valid except in Israel” hadsparked criticism, including on social media, and outrage mounted followinga welcoming tweet from the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s head for Asia and thePacific.
The Foreign Ministry had to issue a statement confirming its stance infavor of Palestine and that there will be no change in its foreign policyfor Israel. – Anadolu Agency