Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, July 3:

Hundreds of agricultural labourers from Nepal have started to work in Israel, replacing Thai workers who had dominated the field for years, reports Haaretz.com. The decision to bring the Nepali workers follows a disagreement between Israeli farmers and the Thai embassy, and the process was accelerated after a Thai worker was killed by a Qassam rocket while working at a greenhouse in Gush Katif last month. Some 600 Nepalis have been absorbed on Israeli farms over the past few weeks.

The person responsible for foreign workers in the Farmers’ Association, Haim Hadad, said the group also is looking into importing workers from Vietnam and northern China. Hadad said that the Thai embassy was causing great damage to thousands of Thai workers who want to continue working in Israel. He said 25,000 Thai citizens are working here, and only a few are employed in areas considered to be a security threat. “There are more than 1,000 requests for work permits from Thai citizens ,” he said.