Bangladesh has made a diplomatic gesture toward Israel, leading to speculation that the two countries may be on the way to the establishment of the ties.
Bangladeshi Minister of Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan announced that Bangladesh has removed from its passports the text “this passport is valid for all countries for the world except Israel.”
Gilad Cohen, Deputy Director-General for Asia and the Pacific at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the announcement as “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,” he said.
Israel and Bangladesh do not have diplomatic relations. In the past, Bangladeshi citizens who visited Israel were punished and even sentenced to prison.