Dhaka is facing mounting pressure from pro-Palestine activists to steer clear of any involvement in the proposed international stabilization force for Gaza. The Palestine Solidarity Committee, a vocal group in Bangladesh, issued a stern warning to the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, emphasizing the nation’s longstanding moral commitment to the Palestinian cause.
In a strongly worded statement released on Sunday, the committee condemned reports that Bangladesh’s National Security Adviser, Khalilur Rahman, expressed interest in joining the force during meetings in Washington with U.S. officials, including Deputy Secretary Alison Hooker and Assistant Secretary Paul Kapoor. This comes amid heightened global scrutiny of Middle East conflicts.
The group argues that Gaza is enduring a profound humanitarian catastrophe, with civilians suffering relentless violence, displacement, and shortages of essentials. Introducing a stabilization force, they claim, would likely escalate tensions rather than foster peace, serving primarily to disarm Palestinian resistance under the guise of securing Israel.
Professor MD Harun-or-Rashid, the committee’s member secretary, highlighted that such participation would betray Bangladesh’s history of supporting oppressed peoples, forged in its own war of independence. ‘Our people empathize deeply with those fighting occupation,’ he stated.
Bangladesh has consistently backed Palestinian self-determination at the UN and criticized Israeli occupations. Joining the force could undermine this principled stance, the committee warns. No official response has come from the Yunus administration yet, as regional dynamics intensify.