Teething issues… resolved, says MEA on Indian labourers in Israel

“The recruitment process of these Indian workers who travel to Israel, their testing of skills, their suitability — all is decided by the Israeli side themselves. Their agency, Population and Immigration Authority (PIBA), which came here for the recruitment, looked at all these issues,” he added.

“Further, when Indian workers travel to Israel, they also have to undergo pre-induction training. They also have to go through some professional tests so that they are able to undertake their professional requirements. We are given to understand that some Indian workers faced some language issues, some communication issues and some related matters, but we understand that these have now been resolved. And these were like, you know, these are teething issues, which happen when you have a new initiative. But this is our understanding, and as per our information, that those initial issues, teething issues, have now been resolved.”

“Overall, Indian workers are satisfied, and the Israeli companies are satisfied,” he said.

The Indian Express had reported on Tuesday that the showpiece bilateral jobs scheme, under which Indians would be taken to Israel to work in the construction sector, after over 1,00,000 Palestinian workers were banned in the wake of the Hamas attack of October 7 last year, is threatening to unravel.

The key reason is a glaring skill mismatch after an assessment process that over-promised and under-delivered when it came to workers’ abilities, an investigation by The Indian Express has found.