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The phrase “valid for all countries except Israel” was printed on Bangladeshi passports for decades before it was removed in 2021. This comes after violent anti-Israel protests last week.
Bangladesh restores ‘Except Israel’ phrase on Bangladeshi passports. (Photo: X)
As public outrage continues over Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, Bangladesh has restored the “except Israel” phrase on its passports, effectively banning its citizens from travelling to the country. Notably, Bangladesh does not officially recognise Israel.
The phrase “valid for all countries except Israel”, which was being printed on Bangladeshi passports for decades, was briefly removed in 2021 during the later years of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. It is now being re-printed on all passports as anger grows in Bangladesh over Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
Bangladesh’s home ministry officials said they 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 directive was issued on April 7, according to local media reports.
Even though the phrase was removed in 2021, authorities said at the time that the decision was taken to maintain international standards of the document, but no change was made in the country’s decades-long policy of banning travel to the Jewish state.
Widespread anti-Israel protests erupted in Bangladesh last week as thousands of people gathered in Dhaka, condemning Israel’s Gaza military offensive and calling for a boycott of Israeli-affiliated products. The protests, which turned violent in some areas, targeted well-known international brands such as Bata, KFC, and Pizza Hut.
The angry crowds targeted businesses perceived to have ties with Israel, resulting in property damage and disruptions to daily life. Bottles of soft drinks perceived to be Israeli-affiliated were smashed in a KFC restaurant in Mirboxtula, and police had to be deployed in the area.
The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Militants also took 251 hostages, 58 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Gaza’s health ministry said on Sunday that at least 1,574 Palestinians had been killed since March 18, when the ceasefire collapsed, taking the overall death toll since the war began to 50,944.
- Location :
Dhaka, Bangladesh
