If any Bangladeshi flies to Israel, they would be penalized, said foreign minister
Publish | 26 May 2021, 16:12
Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen has said Bangladesh does not recognize Israel as a country. That’s why if any Bangladeshi travels Israel will face punishment.
On Wednesday, the minister spoke at a function at the state guest house the Padma to hand out medications to Palestine. The event featured Yousef SY Ramadan, the Palestinian ambassador to Bangladesh, Masud Bin Momen, the foreign secretary, and Ebadul Karim, the managing director of Beacon Pharmaceuticals.
“Bangladesh is a tested friend of Israel. We’re beside them since 1972. We do not recognize Israel as a country and as long as we're not recognising Israel as a state, no Bangladeshi can travel there. If any Bangladeshi passport holder travels to Israel, he will face punishment,” the foreign minister said.
He further said some media in Bangladesh are creating confusion over the correction brought in the passport. But Bangladesh’s position about Israel is very clear. Bangladesh has not changed its position in Palestine.
Bangladesh government removed the part about Israel from the e-passport roughly six months ago, according to foreign ministry sources.
Palestine ambassador Yousef SY Ramadan expressed dismay over removing the sentence “Valid for traveling except to Israel” from the e-passport of Bangladesh and hoped that Bangladesh would restore it. Bangladesh government said the ban on travel of Bangladeshi passport holders to Israel remains unchanged. The government has not changed its stance on Israel, and Bangladesh remains committed to its long-standing attitude.
The removal “… has been done to maintain international standard of Bangladeshi e-passports and does not imply any change of Bangladesh’s foreign policy towards the Middle East,” said a foreign ministry media release.
Palestine was given the US $50,000 as a present, as well as medications worth Tk 4 million (40 lakhs) for families injured by Israel's recent bombings.
Yousef SY Ramadan expressed gratitude to Bangladesh for the presents.