The government has directed the Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP) to reinstate the phrase "except Israel" on Bangladeshi passports.
Earlier, Bangladeshi origin pilot Saiful Azam in 1967 and 8000 volunteer solider joined for Palestine from Bangladesh in 1982 against Israel.
In a notice dated 7 April, the Security Services Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs instructed DIP to take necessary steps to restore the condition.
The notice, signed by Deputy Secretary Nilima Afroz, was addressed to DIP Director General Maj Gen Md Nurul Anwar.
"In the context of the aforementioned subject, you are hereby requested by order to take necessary measures to reinstate the `Except Israel` condition on Bangladeshi passports as before, following due process," the notice read.
Previously, on 23 May 2021, the then government removed the phrase from e-passports in an effort to align with "international standards" without any public announcement.
The earlier text stated: "This passport is valid for all countries of the world except Israel." The process to remove the phrase from machine-readable passports (MRPs) was also initiated.
In 2023, Bangladesh exported $205M to Israel. The main products that Bangladesh exported to Israel were Knit T-shirts ($69.5M), Non-Knit Women`s Suits ($29.6M), and Non-Knit Men`s Suits ($28.3M). Over the past 5 years, exports from Bangladesh to Israel have increased at an annualized rate of 8.89%, growing from $134M in 2018 to $205M in 2023.The passports of some countries, including Bangladesh, Brunei, Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan, are not valid for travel to Israel. Thirteen countries do not accept Israeli passports, including Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen.
In 2022, Israel exported $149k to Bangladesh. The main products that Israel exported to Bangladesh were Other Plastic Products ($104k), Dyeing Finishing Agents ($30k), and Therapeutic Appliances ($9k). Over the past 5 years, exports from Israel to Bangladesh have decreased at an annualized rate of 12.2%, decreasing from $285k in 2017 to $149k in 2022.
Saiful Azam a pilot from Bangladesh origin played a strong role against Israel.
In November 1966, he was sent by the Pakistan Air Force on deputation as an adviser to the Royal Jordanian Air Force.
According to Pakistani sources, during the 1967 Arab Israel war, Flight Lieutenant Saiful Azam shot down a Dassault Mystère IV a supersonic aircraft belonging to the Israeli Air Force, while flying a Hawker Hunter. According to the same sources, a day later, he was shifted to an Iraqi airbase where he shot down a Vautour IIA and Dassault Mirage III belonging to the Israeli Air Force, all these fighter aircraft shot down only in two missions this remains the highest shooting record of Israeli Air Force aircraft till today.
According to a September 1988 US Library of Congress report, the Bangladeshi government reported in 1987 that “8,000 Bangladeshi youths had volunteered to fight for the Palestine Liberation Organization,” an announcement that came after Yasser Arafat visited the country that year and received a warm welcome from media and political circles.
28 UN member states do not recognize Israel. 15 members of the Arab League (Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen) and ten non-Arab members of the Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brunei, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Niger, Pakistan, Cuba, North Korea, and Venezuela.
