New Delhi: Amid safety concerns pertaining to the Indian construction workers being sent to Israel, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said India has urged the Israeli authorities to ensure their safety and well-being.
Addressing the weekly media briefing here in New Delhi, MEA spox Randhir Jaiswal said, "As you are aware, these [first batch] workers have gone to Israel as part of a Mobility Agreement that we have signed with the country. This agreement predates the conflict. We are conscious of their safety. We have urged the Israeli authorities to ensure their safety and well-being".
Given the shortage of workers in Israel, the first batch of Indian workers departed for the war-torn country under the bilateral agreement. However, following the conflict, Israel has imposed restrictions on permits for workers in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Earlier, Israeli Ambassador to India, Naor Gillon, had confirmed that more than 60 Indians are part of this group. It is pertinent to note that the agreement to recruit workers from India and other countries was announced by Israel last year, amid restrictions on Palestinian workers due to the ongoing conflict with Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had initiated discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the deployment of Indian workers to address the shortage in Israel.
Although the Indian workers have left for Israel amid the ongoing conflict, there is a fear of the possibility of causality as a result of which India issued an advisory earlier.
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