Bangladesh: Protests planned in Dhaka December 8

Event

Bangladesh's Hefazat-e-Islam Islamist group is planning to stage political demonstrations in Dhaka on Friday, December 8, in protest of the US announcement on Wednesday that it will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and begin making preparations to move the US Embassy to the city. Several other Islamist political parties will reportedly join Hefazat-e-Islam in the planned demonstrations. Large protests and consequent traffic disruptions are expected in Dhaka - potentially at the National Mosque and other notable public sites - on Friday, particularly after Friday prayers.

Context

According to local media sources, several Bangladeshi Islamist political parties held protests in Dhaka against the US decision on Jerusalem on Thursday, December 7.

On Wednesday, December 6, President Trump announced that the US officially recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a departure from the previous US and international position of neutrality on the status of the city claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians; no country has an embassy in Jerusalem. Many world leaders had strongly advised the US administration against the move, claiming it would render impossible the establishment of a Palestinian state and would inflame tensions across the Muslim world.

The US Congress passed a law in 1995 stipulating that the US Embassy in Israel be moved to Jerusalem by May 1999; US Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama all issued waivers every six months to delay the move throughout their respective tenures.

Advice

Individuals in Dhaka are advised to avoid all demonstrations and rallies due to the risk of violence. A surge in anti-American and anti-Western sentiment is likely in some areas; all travelers, and Westerners in particular, are advised to maintain a low profile (do not discuss sensitive topics, do not stop to take photographs of demonstrations, etc.) and avoid unnecessary movements in the event of unrest.

More generally, due to a high risk of terrorism in Bangladesh, travelers are advised to exercise vigilance when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.) and report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities.