From Republic World:
“Bangladesh Lifts Air Travel
Ban To Israel, Issues New Passport Amid Israel-Hamas Ceasefire”
Joining other Muslim-majority
countries by easing its stance towards Israel, Bangladesh on Saturday, lifted
its travel ban to Israel - hinting at a shift in Bangla-Israel relations.
Bangladeshi passports which earlier read 'This passport is valid for all
countries for the world except Israel' now reads 'This passport is valid for
all countries for the world', as per Bangladeshi news site 'Weekly blitz'.
Bangladesh which backs a sovereign Palestinian state is one of the 26 countries
which did not recognize Israel as a state over the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Bangladesh lifts travel ban to
Israel As per reports, Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan has
confirmed that the passports will no longer feature any restrictions on travel
to Israel, as per the international standard. However, Foreign Minister AK
Abdul Momen told reporters that Bangladesh still does not recognize Israel.
Moreover, in 2009, journalist Salah Choudhury, the editor of the Weekly Blitz,
was arrested for attempting to travel to Tel Aviv for a writers' conference in
2003. He was later charged for
"sedition, treason, and blasphemy", and sentenced to a
seven-year prison term. Hailing the lifting of the ban, Israeli
Ambassador Gilad Cohen tweeted, "Great news! Bangladesh has removed 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". Bangladesh has never recognised
Israel since its independence in 1971 and a shift in stance may trigger
economic trade and technological cooperation, say experts.
4 Islamic nations recognise
Israel In 2020, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Morocco, and Bahrain
forged ties with Israel, recognising the Jewish state for the first time. UAE-Israel
ties' normalisation was facilitated by the then-US President Donald Trump after
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu held six weeks of indirect talks through Jared
Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin
Zayed. While most nations have welcomed the deal which may 72 years of
hostilities in the region, Iran, Hamas have condemned the move raising concerns
about the fate of Palestinians in the region. Apart from UAE, Egypt and Jordan
are the other Arab nations that have forged peace with Israel.
Bangladesh's move to ease up Israeli comes amid a unilateral ceasefire called by Netanyahu to halt an 11-day military operation in the Gaza Strip, which was later agreed to by Hamas. The latest tensions between the two neighbours were ignited when Palestinians protested attempts by settlers to forcibly evict a number of Palestinian families from their homes and Israeli police measures at Al-Aqsa Mosque, a frequent flashpoint located on a mount in the Old City revered by Muslims and Jews. In retaliation to the police action, Hamas fired more than 4,000 rockets, most have either fallen short or been intercepted by Israeli air defence system - 'The Iron Dome', while Israel's warplanes and artillery have struck hundreds of targets around blockaded Gaza and brought down the 12-story al-Jalaa Building, where the offices of the AP, the TV network Al-Jazeera and other media outlets are located. Israel's fatalities have remained at 12, including one Indian - Soumya Santhosh - a Kerala caretaker, while 232 people have died in Gaza including 65 children.
^ With the increase in
Anti-Jewish Violence around the world it's great to see some places are opening
up. Before 1947 Bangladesh was part of British India (and Israel was part of
British Mandatory Palestine) so travel was allowed. From 1947-1971 Bangladesh was
part of Pakistan and so travel to Israel was forbidden. From 1971-2021
Bangladesh (an independent country) made it illegal to travel to Israel. This
relaxation in travel restrictions could mean more opening and diplomatic
relations between the two countries. ^
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