News Bangladesh dropping ‘except Israel’ from passports: what the government says

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If you are in possession of a Bangladeshi passport, you will have read this declaration: “This passport is valid for all countries of the world except Israel”. Soon, the “except Israel” will no more be there.​


The new electronic passports or e-passports will declare “This passport is valid for all countries of the world”. That’s what officials at the Department of Immigration and Passports are saying. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal says they are bringing the changes to ensure that the passports meet the “international standards”.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen was unavailable on the phone for comments on Saturday on whether this lifting of bar on Israel also reflects a change of heart in Bangladesh’s foreign policy towards the Jewish state.

But the home minister insists: “Our foreign policy has not changed.” 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. The government has rather let Palestine set up its embassy in Dhaka. Ever since the birth of Bangladesh, its handwritten passports had unequivocally stated the travel ban with the “except Israel” annotation.
It did not change when the government introduced machine-readable passports or MRPs a decade ago. Now, the “except Israel” bar is being deleted from e-passports at a time when the Israel-Palestine conflict has exploded with devastating consequences for the Palestinians.

Why?

The changes to the passports are being brought in light of the government’s decision, offered Maj Gen Ayub Chowdhury, director general of the Department of Immigration and Passports. The department runs under the home ministry. Pressed on the changes, Home Minister Kamal was a little more forthcoming: “No country uses the words anymore, not even the Arab nations.”

Although the e-passports are being changed, the MRPs have been left untouched, according to him. An official at the passports department also said the MRPs have the entire note unchanged. “But the process of dropping the words is ongoing,” he added, requesting anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak to the media on the issue. Asked if dropping the words “except Israel” from the passports will allow Bangladeshis to travel to Israel, a home ministry official said: “A passport contains the identity of a person. But visa is required to travel to any country.”

He explained that the two countries have no diplomatic relations with each other.

“You must have diplomatic relations (for travel). And many people cannot travel to a country if they are refused visa even though diplomatic relations are there.”

M Humayun Kabir, who was Bangladesh’s former ambassador to the US, said passport is a travel document and it does not matter if a country does not recognise the independence of another.

He pointed out that many Bangladeshis are doing business with Taiwan, although it had been a forbidden country for Bangladeshis.

“Taiwan has political recognition, but no diplomatic acknowledgment. So trading with Taiwan is happening informally. China also does that. A paper is required to travel to Taiwan. It is available at their consulate in Singapore. But they don’t stamp (passports).”

An office representing Taiwan was opened in Dhaka in 2004. The Taiwanese foreign ministry closed it in June 2009.

Kabir said Bangladesh allowed Taiwan to open the office for trade, but it was shut down in the face of China’s objection.

“The question of diplomatic relations with Taiwan doesn’t arise because we consider it a part of China.”

“But Israel is an independent country and a member state of the United Nations. They (Israel and Taiwan) are different.”

The former diplomat said some Muslim countries, such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, were normalising ties with Israel while some others like Turkey and Jordan already have diplomatic relations with Israel. In South Asia, India and Nepal have diplomatic ties with Israel.

“So it will depend on our political decision. We are always vocal about (the rights of) the Palestinians.”

Kabir, president of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, said Bangladesh has always supported the Palestinians’ rights and Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

“But we will have to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel if we want to establish relations with that country. Will we do that? Will it be politically prudent for us?”

“Secondly, will it be ethically right for us to establish relations with Israel when Israel has created an intolerable situation by evicting Palestinians, carrying out military operations on them, and refusing the idea of two states? We must keep these things in mind while making decisions.”

And thirdly, Kabir said, being a Muslim-majority country overwhelmingly supporting Palestine, the government must consider whether to establish ties with Israel before the Arab nations and the Palestinians do so. He added that such calculations are not required to bring changes to the passports.
“Shall we be able to ban a Bangladeshi from doing business with Israel? I don’t see a reason to object if they (Israel) accept our passport. It’s a different issue whether we will ban it officially. But writing this on the passport does not matter much in the relationship.”

“It could be that Bangladesh has people who can do business with Israel. But it does not mean we are establishing ties,” he said.
In his words, establishing ties with Israel will need diplomatic efforts, while bringing changes to the passports is an administrative decision.
“I don’t think it should be given much importance.”

 

CEZAYIRLI

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Opinion

Why remove ‘except Israel’ from passports?​

This move contradicts the stance maintained by the Father of our Nation

Selina Mohsin
Mon May 31, 2021 12:00 AM
A Palestinian man prays as Israeli police gather during clashes at the compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque. Photo: Reuters
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A Palestinian man prays as Israeli police gather during clashes at the compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque. Photo: Reuters
The outburst of violence between Palestine and Israel during the month of Ramadan led to Hamas firing rockets and Israel bombing Palestine. Israeli air strikes caused at least 254 Palestinian deaths including 66 children and massive destruction in Palestine. On May 18, France along with Egypt and Jordan, announced the filing of a United Nations resolution for ceasefire and the fighting ended.

The prime minister and the foreign minister of Bangladesh gave Bangladesh's support to the legitimate struggles of the Palestinians and condemned Israel's attacks.

For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.

Since the establishment in 1971 of Bangladesh as a Muslim majority country, the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, openly affirmed his position in favour of Palestine and stood against Israeli oppression in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Bangladesh supported the Palestinians against Israel during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, including in the form of sending a medical team and relief supplies for Palestinians.

In 1980, a postal stamp was created depicting a Palestinian freedom fighter, the Al-Aqsa mosque in the background shrouded by barbed wires, and text celebrating Palestinian fighters as "valiant" in English and Arabic.

With the endorsement of the Father of the Nation, all passports contained the clause: "This passport is valid for all the countries of the world except Israel."

Bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Palestine are close and cordial. Bangladesh has been a consistent supporter of the Palestinian campaign for an independent state and has no relations with Israel. Furthermore, Palestine has a mission in Dhaka and Bangladesh offers scholarships to young Palestinians, and the two countries co-operate on other affairs as well.

Now, in a surprise move on May 23, 2021, the foreign and home ministers announced that Bangladeshi passports will no longer bear the text "except Israel". This move, after 50 years of independence, contradicts the Father of the Nation's commitment to Palestine and the citizens' commitment to Palestinians.

The foreign minister of Bangladesh said that there has been no change in Bangladesh's position towards Palestine as it still does not recognise Israel. But it is surely reasonable to suspect that this deletion means relations with Israel may move towards normalisation.

On the other hand, if removing the phrase "except Israel" has indeed not changed Bangladesh's position on Israel, the question arises: why remove these words if it does not make any difference if they are there?

Already, Israel's Deputy Director General for Asia and Pacific at Israel's Foreign Ministry has tweeted, "Great news! Bangladesh has removed travel ban to Israel. This is a welcome step and I call on the Bangladeshi government to move forward and establish diplomatic ties with Israel so both our peoples could benefit and prosper."

The Israeli Ambassador to India said, "Look forward to working with the Govt of Bangladesh, so much added value we can bring to each other".

These are ominous moves from Israel when the foreign minister says we shall maintain norelations with Israel. Clearly, the Israeli government anticipates further movement. The home minister said the changes are to ensure passports meet "international standard". Yet, "except Israel" was there when the government introduced machine readable passports (MRPs) 10 years ago. Had it also not met international standards back then?

All passports have to maintain the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) standard. Yet, Bangladesh's passports already meet it. Passports of all countries meet it, so why the change? And what global standard is he talking about? ICAO is the global standard.

The foreign minister said, "No country uses these words 'except Israel' anymore, not even the Arab nations."
I am amazed at the above comments of the two ministers, who must be familiar with passports of many countries.
To cite a few examples, while Malaysia does have commercial relations with Israel, the Malaysian passport bears the text, "This passport is valid for all countries except Israel."

Pakistan is one of the countries whose passport explicitly states "all countries… except Israel."
At least twelve countries do not accept Israeli passports, including Algeria, Brunei, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen.

Libya's passports state, "All countries of the world except occupied Palestine". Libya does not even recognise Israel. The passports of all the above countries are ICAO compliant.

One has to wonder what the foreign minister and the home minister mean by claiming that "except Israel" is used by no other countries.

The Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, approved passports with the term "except Israel". He also had a meeting with the Palestinian Leader, Yasser Arafat, in Lahore in 1973 at an OIC meeting. The passports that the Father of the Nation endorsed include "except Israel" and such passports are also ICAO compliant.

Who decided to overlook the stand taken by the Father of the Nation and also make statements that are untrue?
Dropping "except Israel", despite its endorsement by Bangabandhu, should have been discussed in public. Why was this move not been discussed in Parliament and in an open house debate? We select our politicians, we vote for them, and they are answerable to us.

The issue of an "administrative problem" was mentioned by the home minister without much specificity. What is the administrative difficulty with having two words—"except Israel"—unless passports have already been ordered without them?
It is quite possible that this has all been due to the influence of powerful and wealthy individuals who have persuaded politicians to take this step.

We need to help Palestine, especially now that recent events have brought a new unity amongst young Palestinians, including many within Israel itself. I request that the two words, "except Israel", be inserted back into the passport again.


Selina Mohsin is a Former Ambassador.
 

Isa Khan

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Here's what i remember from an old discussion. @500 @Jacop @Indos can you guys verify your parts here?

"Anyone can visit Israel with a Bangladeshi or Indonesian/Malaysian passport. The Israeli immigration authority does not stamp on passport, rather they stamp on a ticket which is used as ID card/visa for traveling/staying inside Israel. The restriction is issued by Bangladesh and Israeli authority isn't obliged to follow it. AFAIK there's no laws or parts in the constitution that bans travelling inside Israel.

Is there any amendments made in the constitution that states Bangladesh enshrines Palestinian struggle? There isn't a single one. All I can see is that our foreign ministry is confused because there are no legal guidelines on these issues. Plus since we're part of the UN, the charter of universal human rights states this. ⤵️ There are so many loopholes before and now (Regarding Israel and Palestine) that the constitutional experts and lawyers inside this country never even bothered to notice them."

1633845861127.png


Dropping "except Israel", despite its endorsement by Bangabandhu, should have been discussed in public. Why was this move not been discussed in Parliament and in an open house debate? We select our politicians, we vote for them, and they are answerable to us.

She was an ambassador but she is acting like she doesn't know how the system works here.

It is quite possible that this has all been due to the influence of powerful and wealthy individuals who have persuaded politicians to take this step.

She should've explained why would powerful and wealthy individuals do that.
 

Jacop

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Here's what i remember from an old discussion. @500 @Jacop @Indos can you guys verify your parts here?

"Anyone can visit Israel with a Bangladeshi or Indonesian/Malaysian passport. The Israeli immigration authority does not stamp on passport, rather they stamp on a ticket which is used as ID card/visa for traveling/staying inside Israel. The restriction is issued by Bangladesh and Israeli authority isn't obliged to follow it. AFAIK there's no laws or parts in the constitution that bans travelling inside Israel.

Is there any amendments made in the constitution that states Bangladesh enshrines Palestinian struggle? There isn't a single one. All I can see is that our foreign ministry is confused because there are no legal guidelines on these issues. Plus since we're part of the UN, the charter of universal human rights states this. ⤵️ There are so many loopholes before and now (Regarding Israel and Palestine) that the constitutional experts and lawyers inside this country never even bothered to notice them."

View attachment 33286



She was an ambassador but she is acting like she doesn't know how the system works here.



She should've explained why would powerful and wealthy individuals do that.

i do not really have an idea about this
 

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