Bangladesh has lifted travel ban to Israel after it removed “except Israel” words written on the passport.
The passports had a clause that said: “This Passport is valid for all countries of the world except Israel.”
The Jewish state has welcomed the move and urged Dhaka to establish diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv for the benefit of the people of the two countries.
“Great news! #Bangladesh has removed the travel ban to Israel. This is a welcome step & I call on the Bangladeshi government to move forward and establish diplomatic ties with #Israel so both our peoples could benefit & prosper,” Deputy Director General at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gilad Cohen tweeted.
Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said they are bringing the changes to ensure that the passports meet the “international standards”.
In the Israel-Palestine conflict of eight decades, Bangladesh has all along stridently supported the Palestinians’ cause. It has never recognised the existence of Israel, and so the two countries do not have diplomatic relations.
Kamal said that the move “does not mean that there has been a change in Bangladesh’s position” regarding Israel.
Israel has normalised its ties with the Muslim-majority UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan last year.
