Israel, India ink agreement to allow 42,000 Indian workers to work in Jewish state

Jerusalem: Israel and India on Tuesday inked an agreement that will allow 42,000 Indian workers to work in the Jewish state in the fields of construction and nursing, a move expected to help deal with the rising cost of living and assist thousands of families waiting for nursing care.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who reached New Delhi on Tuesday morning for a three-day visit but announced cutting it short because of the security situation arising out of Israel's operations in the Gaza Strip, held talks with his Indian counterpart Dr S Jaishankar.

The ministers discussed ways to strengthen Indo-Israel ties by "adding direct flights, continuing cooperation in agriculture and water management, and expanding cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence and cyber defence", according to a Hebrew press statement from the Israeli foreign ministry.

"The ministers also signed agreements to allow the arrival of 42,000 Indian workers in the fields of construction and nursing," it added.

The addition of workers from India is expected to help deal with the rising cost of living in Israel and help thousands of families waiting for nursing care.

According to the statement, 34,000 workers will be engaged in the construction field and another 8,000 for nursing needs.

In reference to the proposed rail and port link, the Israeli foreign minister said that it would shorten the route between Asia and Europe and make Israel a commercial, technological and transportation hub in the changing trade routes in the Middle East.

Emphasising the significant role India can play in expanding the scope of the landmark Abraham Accords, Cohen said that the strategic partnership with New Delhi strengthens Israel and also contributes to the stability in the Middle East.

"India can play a significant role in expanding the Abraham Accords and promoting regional projects with countries, and countries that do not yet have relations with Israel," the press statement quoted Cohen as saying.

The Abraham Accords of 2020 was the first Arab-Israeli peace deal in 26 years and is the popular description for the normalisation of Israel's ties with the Islamic world.

Officials from the United States, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and India met earlier this week in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and discussed a rail and port network linking the Gulf states and India.

It is believed that the same may be extended on the other side to include connectivity with Israel, local media reports earlier said.

India and Israel have seen an intense last few months of engagement starting with the visit of Knesset's (Israeli parliament) Speaker Amir Ohana at the end of March followed by the visit of Minister of Economy Nir Barkat in April and now comes the visit of the Israeli Foreign Minister in quick succession.

The visits are being seen as a build-up to the much-anticipated visit of Netanyahu towards the end of this year.