A total of 673 individuals and organisations, including the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions, have urged the Nepal government not to send the citizens of the country to Israel for jobs amid the war on Gaza.
Over 4,500 Nepali citizens, mostly women working as caregivers, are currently living in Israel, according to the Germany-based Friedrich Naumann Foundation.
Last week, the Department of Foreign Employment under the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security in Nepal invited applications from citizens to work in Israel’s long-term care centres, reported myRepublica.
On July 1, a group of Nepali citizens and organisations urged the government not to put the lives of citizens at risk “by sending them as workers [in] wartime Israel, which is flouting all norms of humanity”.
They pointed out that 10 Nepali workers were killed after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack in southern Israel.
“The relevant ministries and the Government of Nepal must honour the right to life of Nepali citizens and maintain respect for fundamental human rights,” read their letter to the government. “When a lack of livelihood security in the country compels citizens to put their lives at risk in search of work, it is abrogation of responsibility for the state and government not to do what is required to protect them.”
They also pointed out that Israel has been denying Palestinians “their right to livelihood” and has been seeking workers elsewhere.
“While categorically refusing to work towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict, Israel seeks to fulfil its labour shortage by recruiting workers from Nepal, thereby putting their lives and limbs in jeopardy,” they said.
The letter states that along with the right to life of Nepali workers, the attempt to send them to Israel at this time raises the question of “whether the Nepali state is aiding and abetting Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people”.
The war on Gaza began on October 7 after Hamas militants invaded southern Israel, killing 1,200 persons and taking over 200 hostages.
Since October, Israel has been carrying out unprecedented air and ground strikes on Gaza. The attacks have killed at least 37,877 persons, including over 15,000 children.
In April, over 6,000 Indian construction workers had arrived in Israel under an agreement signed by the two countries.
External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal had said at the time that 18,000 Indians were currently employed in Israel, most of them as caregivers.
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