Israel is looking to hire 1,00,000 Indian construction workers to replace Palestinian workers who lost their work permits in the wake of the Hamas attack in Israel and the ensuing conflict.
According to media reports, the Israeli Builders Association requested the government to initiate steps to hire workers from India.
“Right now, we are negotiating with India. We are waiting for the decision of the Israeli government to approve that. And, we hope to engage 50,000 to 1,00,000 workers from India to be able to run the whole sector and bring it back to normal,” vice president of the Israel Builders Association, Haim Feiglin has been quoted as saying, by Voice of America (VOA) News.
Before the conflict began, as many as 90,000 Palestinians had been working in the sector in Israel. The denial of work permits to Palestinians has reportedly affected the construction industry in Israel.
The Wire reported that talks are ongoing in this regard between India and Israel and the number of workers being negotiated is 15,000.
The external affairs ministry of India is yet to comment on the report.
In July, India and Israel had signed an agreement for sending 42,000 workers to the country, out of which 34,000 workers would be employed in the construction industry.
