Dhaka, Sep 13 (V7N) – BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has voiced deep concern over the safety of Bangladeshi expatriates living and working in the Middle East and Gulf region, as Israel intensifies airstrikes across Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen.

In a statement posted on Facebook and X at around 4:45 pm on Friday, Tarique Rahman said Bangladeshis worldwide have always stood in solidarity with Palestinians against “violent colonial oppression and erasure of existence.” He described Israel’s recent settlement expansion plans in the occupied West Bank as “heartbreaking,” noting that such actions make the prospect of a Palestinian state “practically impossible.”

“The ongoing apartheid and attacks on the Palestinian people, their culture, land, and history under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu is not just genocide—it is a planned ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. It is despicable,” he wrote.

Expressing particular worry for Bangladeshi migrant workers in the conflict-hit region, Tarique Rahman warned that the escalating crisis posed a direct threat to their safety and families.

He further called on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to expedite the trial over what he termed the “Gaza genocide” and urged the international community to strongly condemn Israel’s settlement plans and exert pressure to halt them.

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