Punishment if any Bangladeshi travels Israel: Foreign minister
Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen has said Bangladesh does not recognise Israel as a country. That’s why if any Bangladeshi travels Israel will face punishment.
The minister was addressing a programme, organised to handover medicines to Palestine, at state guest house Padma on Wednesday. Palestine ambassador to Bangladesh Yousef SY Ramadan, foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen and Beacon Pharmaceuticals managing director Ebadul Karim were present at the programme.
“Bangladesh is a tested friend of Israel. We’re beside them since 1972. We do not recognise 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 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 about Palestine.
According to the foreign ministry sources, Bangladesh government excluded the section about Israel from e-passport around six months ago.
Palestine ambassador Yousef SY Ramadan expressed dismay over removing the sentence “Valid for travelling 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 deviated from its position on Israel and Bangladesh remains firm on its longstanding position in this regard.
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 as gift US $50,000 and medicines worth Tk 4 million (40 lakhs) for the families affected due to the recent airstrikes by Israel.
Yousef SY Ramadan thanked Bangladesh for the gifts.