As its war with Hamas completes a month, Israel is grappling with a severe labour shortage and is looking to recruit Indian workers to replace Palestinian labourers whose work permits have been nixed, according to a report in Voice Of America. The slowdown in Israel's construction sector since the start of the war last month has affected its economy and the construction industry has asked government authorities to allow firms hire around a lakh Indian workers.
The development comes as around 90,000 Palestinians lost their work permits since Hamas, a Palestinian outfit, launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7. In retaliation, Israel has pounded Gaza with airstrikes, killing over 10,000 Palestinians. The conflict has also claimed the lives of around 1,400 Israelis.
Haim Feiglin, vice president of the Israel Builders Association, said negotions were on with India, with whom Israel shares strong ties. "We are waiting for (the) decision of the Israeli government to approve that. We hope to engage 50,000 to 100,000 workers from India to be able to run the whole sector and bring it back to normal," Feiglin told Voice Of America.
"We are at war and the Palestinian workers, which are about 25 per cent of our human resources in the sector, are not coming, are not permitted to work in Israel," he further said, highlighting the labour crisis.
The remarks come as India launched 'Operation Ajay' to facilitate the return of its citizens from war-torn Israel.
Earlier this year, during Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's visit, both the countries inked an agreement allowing 42,000 Indian workers to work in Israel primarily in the fields of construction and nursing. Around 34,000 Indian workers were to be engaged in construction and another 8,000 for nursing, a statement by the Israeli Foreign Ministry had said in May.
While India has historically supported a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, last month India abstained from a UN General Assembly vote on a resolution calling for a "humanitarian truce" in Gaza. After the October 7 attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a telephone call with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, said, "People of India stand firmly with Israel in this difficult hour".