To replace Palestinians, Israel plans to hire 1 lakh Indian construction workers

The Israeli construction industry has asked Tel Aviv's government to allow companies to hire up to 1 lakh Indian workers to replace the 90,000 Palestinians whose work permits have been revoked since the 7 October Hamas attack, Telegraph India reports.

A Voice of America report from the West Bank quoted the vice-president of the Israel Builders Association, Haim Feiglin, as saying, "Right now we are negotiating with India. We are waiting for decision of the Israeli government to approve that". He said that they 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.

India's external affairs ministry did not respond to questions about the report or say whether the government would allow Indians to move to a conflict zone for work during current turmoil time.

Work has been disrupted since October 7, according to Feiglin, because Palestinians make up roughly 25% of the workforce employed by the Israeli construction industry.

"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," Feiglin went on to say.

Approximately 10% of the Palestinian workers are from Gaza, and the rest are from the West Bank.

While the war is being cited as the reason for seeking Indian workers, Tel Aviv has been on this path for several months. It signed an agreement with India in May that will allow 42,000 Indians to work in Israel, particularly in the construction sector, which is facing a labour shortage.

During Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's visit to India on May 9, the Framework Agreement on Facilitating Temporary Employment of Workers in Specific Labour Market Sectors in Israel was signed.

This was the first time that the Israeli construction industry had opened up to Indians, who had previously primarily served as carers. The agreement also includes nursing staff.

Before it was signed, this framework agreement had been in the works for over a year. In March, a multi-ministerial Israeli delegation visited India and toured training facilities throughout the country.

According to the Population and Immigration Authority in Israel, the incoming workers from India were diligent, experienced, and fluent in English, according to the Middle East Monitor.

Foreign workers are increasingly preferred over Palestinians because they provide insurance against frequent work disruptions caused by frequent closures of borders into and out of Gaza and the West Bank.