Israel’s construction industry looking to hire Indian workers and replace Palestinians: Report
India-Israel ties
Israel’s construction sector has reportedly urged Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to let them hire 100,000 Indian workers to replace 90,000 Palestinians who have lost their work permits amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Vice-president of Israel Builders' Association, Haim Feiglin told Voice of America (VOA) News that the Indian government has been informed in this regard and they are currently waiting for a decision from the Israeli government.
“We hope to engage some 50,000 to 100,000 workers from India to work across the sector and bring it to normalcy,” he said.
The construction sector has come to a standstill after Palestinians were not allowed to work in Israel following the brutal October 7 assault by Hamas terror group. The industry is currently operating at 15 per cent of its prewar capacity,
As a result of a shortage of workers, construction activity has slowed down in the country.
Israel revoked work permits of Palestinians
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According to Feiglin, Palestinians account for 25 per cent of the workforce employed by the Israeli construction industry. Of which, around 10 per cent of the Palestinian workers are from Gaza, while the rest are from the West Bank.
According to Palestinian officials, more than 110,000 Palestinians held permits to work in Israel or Israeli settlements before Oct 7 attack. The majority of them were in the construction industry.
He further said that Israeli cities have been grappling with manpower shortages in the construction industry. Currently, Chinese workers are filling in the shoes of Palestinian workers, but only to a limited extent.
India-Israel worker mobility agreement
Notably, India has signed an agreement with Israel that will allow Indian workers to get hired in construction sector.
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 with India that will allow 42,000 Indians to work in Israel.
This was the first time that Israel’s construction sector opened up to Indians, who are primarily hired as caregivers. The agreement also includes nursing staff.
(With inputs from agencies)