Bangladesh has reintroduced an “except Israel” inscription on passports, prohibiting its citizens from visiting the Jewish state, AFP reported on Sunday.

The phrase “valid for all countries except Israel” was present on passports of the Muslim-majority Asian country for decades until 2021.

However, authorities had issued a directive last week to restore the inscription, a deputy secretary in the Home Ministry, Nilima Afroze, was cited by the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) news agency as saying.

“The director general of the department of immigration and passport was asked to take necessary measures to implement this change,” Afroze said, as quoted by local newspaper The Daily Star, according to AFP.

Bangladesh does not recognize Israel and has long conveyed a pro-Palestinian stance.

On Saturday, some 100,000 people gathered in Dhaka in a show of support for Gaza.

Although officially a democracy, Bangladesh (population 175 million) is considered an authoritarian state, with concerns voiced over the fairness of elections and the suppressing measures against political opponents.

In 2024, a student uprising led to the exile of the country’s longest-serving prime minister, Sheikh Hasina. Following the authorities’ brutal crackdown on protests against her government, demonstrations intensified until Hasina resigned and fled to India.

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a report in 2025 that found Hasina personally responsible for directing and coordinating the strident response by authorities against the students.

Image - JNS/A pro-Palestinian rally in Bangladesh on Oct. 13, 2023. Credit: Abazizfahad via Wikimedia Commons.