Planning to get more Indians to work in Israel, says envoy Naor Gilon

Israel's ambassador to India Naor Gilon has expressed Israel's interest in bringing more Indian workers to the country through government-to-government programmes.

The focus areas for recruitment, he said, would include caregiving, construction workers, and agriculture.

Speaking to the media, the ambassador said, "When are our foreign minister was here, he signed a framework agreement with Dr S Jaishankar, to bring workers from India to Israel, and also to provide structure to those who are already working there, through the government-to-government framework.”

Gilon highlighted the existing protocols in the caregiver and construction sectors signed under the broader agreement between the Indian and Israeli governments, stating, "These two are already there signed, construction was signed two weeks ago by me, together with my counterpart in MEA. Starting to bring people via this protocol, and maybe we will do protocol on agriculture, these are the three sectors where we need the most now"

Gilon underlined the significance of long-term government-to-government agreements as the primary mechanism for sending workers, with the recruitment process entrusted to the Indian government.

In light of what he referred to as an "emergency," Israel has temporarily allowed its private sector a "limited quota" for foreign workers, including 5,000 in agriculture and 10,000 in construction over three months.

The ambassador explained, "In the long-term, we see government-to-government agreements with different countries, including India, as the main tool to send people, and all recruitment processes in India, are handled by the Indian government."

The ambassador praised India's response to the October 7 terror attack by Hamas, describing it as "remarkable" and one of the "strongest reactions."

He particularly commended Prime Minister Narendra Modi's unwavering stance against terrorism, stating, "PM Modi came out clear and adamant against terrorism."

While acknowledging India's abstention from the UNGA resolution by Arab countries, he noted that India voted in favour of the Canadian amendments. 

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Discussing Israel's recent ban on the Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, Gilon deemed it a "nice gesture," considering the 15th anniversary of the Mumbai 26/11 attacks.

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He emphasised Israel's determination in fighting terrorism, asserting, "When it comes to fighting terrorism, we are very determined... It's the right thing to do." 6 Israeli citizens were killed in the Mumbai terror attack.  Regarding the request for India to ban Hamas, Gilon clarified, "we filed the information needed... did whatever was expected from our side, now it's Indian decision, Indian govt to decide."

In response to reports about Pakistan supplying Israel with 155mm shells, the ambassador unequivocally dismissed such claims, stating, "This did not happen."