Amid anxiety for Indians in Israel, Delhi to wait and watch before sending next batch of workers

Quite disappointing

Amid anxiety for Indians in Israel, Delhi to wait and watch before sending next batch of workers

As Iran’s drone and missile strikes put Indians living in Israel on high alert, India has decided not to send a second batch of construction workers to the country until the situation is brought under control, The Indian Express has learnt.

India had on April 2 sent a first batch of 65 citizens to Israel as part of an agreement between the two countries for a total of 1,500 Indian citizens to be flown to the country this month to be employed as construction workers. More than 18,000 Indians already work in Israel, mostly as caregivers and agricultural workers.

Israel’s ambassador to India, Naor Gilon, told The Indian Express that the Indian workers would be protected. “For us, the workers are no different from other Israeli nationals. As you saw last night, there was a huge effort by Israel, and we were able to protect our civilians… Since we treat Indian workers as part of the Israeli population, they will also be as safe as the Israeli population…,” he said.

Speaking to The Indian Express from Tel Aviv on Sunday morning, Kerala native K Joseph, who works as caregiver, said the residents there were on alert after Iran launched the strikes. “We have been told to return to shelters when we hear sirens that warn about missile attacks. Last night, there were such attacks, but the Iron Dome (Israel’s air defence system) intercepted them.”

He said schools have been closed and companies were allowing employees to work from home.

Dileep Babu, who is in Israel on an agricultural visa, said he spent an anxious night following the attack. “Last night, we did not sleep. We were all anxious about the airstrikes. It happened at 2.30 am and we all remained awake, kept in touch with one another on social media platforms, and shared security concerns. Those working in areas bordering Lebanon are also anxious. But we all have confidence in the Israel security system and the Iron Dome. Often, we can see how the missiles are being intercepted by the Iron Dome,” he said.

The Indian embassy in Israel issued an advisory on Sunday, asking Indian citizens in the country to stay calm and adhere to safety protocols.

While the sending of construction workers has been put on hold for now, it is estimated that 15,000 more workers will be sought by Israel. The 1,500 already selected to be sent to Israel were recruited from the states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana in January this year.

Israel has said that these workers will be deployed to work on residential projects in safe zones.

In the wake of the Israel-Gaza conflict, it was reported that Indian workers would be hired to replace the 90,000 Palestinians whose work permits were cancelled following the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7 last year.

In March this year, a youth from Kerala who was working at a farm had been killed when Lebanese militant group Hezbollah launched a rocket attack on northern Israel near the Lebanon border.

Shaju Philip – 2024-04-14 20:15

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