News
No en masse Sri Lankan returnees from Israel despite conflict
View(s):- One Sri Lankan feared dead, one reported missing and one released from hospital, following attack by Hamas on October 7
- Fears of ripple effect on tourism here
By Sandun Jayawardana
Though the conflict between Israel and Hamas has escalated dramatically over the past week, there has been no exodus of Sri Lankans residing in Israel.
The government, however, has temporarily suspended sending more Sri Lankan workers to the country in light of the violence. Meanwhile, those in the tourism industry warn that a prolonged conflict could have a devastating impact on the rapidly improving tourism market from Israel.
Deserted Arugam Bay: Usually A favourite destination among Israeli tourists. Pic by Priyanath Chandrapala
A majority of some 8000 Sri Lankans in Israel have chosen to stay on despite the conflict. “We haven’t had anyone request us for assistance to evacuate. There have been some calls asking us about the availability of flights and tickets should the necessity arise, but no one has indicated they want to leave,” Nimal Bandara, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Israel, told the Sunday Times.
Meanwhile, the government has temporarily suspended sending Sri Lankans to Israel due to the ongoing war. “We have sought advice from the Foreign Ministry, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Tel Aviv and Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority (PIBA) given the current situation. We will act according to the advice we receive,” Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) Media Spokesman Gamini Senarath Yapa said.
As Israel prepares for a ground invasion of Gaza, there are also fears of a second front opening up on the country’s northern border due to sporadic clashes between Israeli forces and the Lebanese militant group Hizbullah. On Friday (13), the Sri Lankan Embassy in Tel Aviv issued notice to Sri Lankans living in several northern Israeli cities near the border with Lebanon and Syria to be vigilant owing to reports in Israeli media of possible attacks in these areas.
While some international airlines have cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv, over the past few days, citing security concerns, passengers flying between Israel and Sri Lanka still have flights via West Asian destinations such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi. As such, any Sri Lankans wishing to leave can do so, but the vast majority have opted to stay, said Ambassador Bandara.
About 90% of Sri Lankans residing in Israel are working as caregivers while the remaining 10% are working in the agriculture sector. Much of the Sri Lankan population is living and working in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, which are the three largest cities, noted Mr Bandara. Around 20 Sri Lankans were known to have been working in the country’s southern region near the Gaza border which Hamas militants breached in multiple locations on October 7 as they crossed into Israel. Seven were initially reported missing, though four later reported back to their duty stations. That left three others. One woman, identified as Anula Ratnayake (49) from Kadawatha is believed to have been killed by Hamas militants, according to some accounts. The ambassador however, noted that this has not been confirmed as her body is yet to be located and identified. “In the absence of a positive identification of a body, we are continuing to treat her as a missing person.”
There has been no word on the whereabouts of a second Sri Lankan, Bandara Yatawara (48) from Wennappuwa since October 7. He may be among more than 150 hostages that Hamas militants are reported to have taken with them across the border into Gaza. The ambassador said they have given details of the missing Sri Lankans to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) so that in the event that negotiations commence regarding a prisoner exchange, they will have the necessary information to check if they are among those that have been taken. As per details released by Israeli authorities, citizens from more than 30 countries are confirmed to have died or are missing due to the attacks.
A third Sri Lankan, Sujith Nishantha, was injured. He has now been discharged from hospital and is recovering. Ambassador Bandara was among diplomats that Israel’s Foreign Ministry took to the affected region on Thursday (12) for an awareness programme about the situation. He had planned to visit the hospital where Mr Nishantha was treated to thank doctors and medical staff as well as to check nearby hospitals to see if any bodies in them belong to the missing Sri Lankans. However, they were stopped by the Israeli military a few kilometres from the Gaza border due to rockets fired from Gaza landing nearby and had to return to Tel Aviv. “I hope to try again once the security situation improves,” said the ambassador.
Acting on a request by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Israel, the Foreign Ministry has provided USD 20, 000 for the relief and welfare needs of Sri Lankans in Israel while the SLBFE has provided USD 10, 000. President Ranil Wickremesinghe has also directed officials to prioritise the immediate requirements of Sri Lankan citizens residing in Israel, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said. Accordingly, a hotline, a WhatsApp number and an email account have been set up to allow Sri Lankans to directly inform authorities in case of “life-threatening situations or related difficulties.” The details are as follows: Phone: (+94) 117966396; WhatsApp: (+94) 767463391; Email: opscenga@gmail.com.
Sri Lankans in Israel are also sharing information on social media about their experiences. Some, who are living in cities such as Ashkelon in southern Israel which have been targeted by hundreds of Hamas rockets from Gaza, have posted about how they stay in bunkers and safe rooms during rocket fire. There are also messages being shared to check on each other, and to particularly reassure newly arrived Sri Lankans who might be confused and frightened over what is happening.
In Sri Lanka, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chandana Wickramaratne has issued instructions to all police stations and to the Tourist Police Division to identify hotels, guest houses and other accommodation where Israeli citizens are lodged and provide necessary security for them. There are currently about 12, 000 Israelis in Sri Lanka according to information provided by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), an officer from the Tourist Police Division said.
So far, there has only been one incident of harassment of Israeli tourists directly linked to the hostile environment created by the conflict. In Arugam Bay, two female Israeli tourists had allegedly been verbally abused by a man who had threatened them and demanded they leave Sri Lanka. He was arrested and produced in court following a complaint lodged by the tourists. Police said the Sri Lankan man had been under the influence of liquor.
Such incidents and a prolonged conflict could have terrible consequences for those who rely on tourism from Israel. Manjula Prasad, who has been working with Israeli tourists visiting Sri Lanka for 14 years, said the incident at Arugam Bay was posted on a Facebook and WhatsApp group for Israelis in Sri Lanka that had over 28, 000 members. The group consists of those who have visited Sri Lanka or are already here. “Israelis in Arugam Bay were advised to leave immediately after the incident and we know that many packed up and moved to the southern coast,” he claimed. Mr Prasad said it was essential that authorities treat such incidents seriously and take action to assure the safety of Israeli tourists.
He said the war could not have come at a worse time for tourism from Israel given that it has increased significantly in recent times. “I wasn’t home most of this year because I was taking Israeli tourists around the country. But since last Saturday, I have had seven upcoming tours cancelled. The situation is the same for everyone else taking Israeli tourists.”
According to the SLTDA, 9326 Israelis visited the country last year. By September this year however, that number had already doubled to 18, 449. There was potential for an increase in numbers due to the start of direct flights between Tel Aviv and Colombo this year. Israel’s Arkia Airlines is due to start direct flights between Israel and Sri Lanka from October 31. “The airline told me that they had over 8000 bookings from Israelis from October 31 up to March. Most of them likely won’t come now as they would be on the battlefield,” said Ambassador Nimal Bandara.
Meanwhile, protests have been taking place in Colombo over the past few days calling for an end to the war.
| I feel helpless: Israeli living in Kandy An Israeli citizen in Sri Lanka described his feelings of helplessness while witnessing the attacks in his country. Oren Cohen (59) and his wife have been coming to Sri Lanka since 2011 and currently live in Kandy. He said a daughter of a good friend of his was among those killed when Hamas gunmen stormed a music festival during the attacks. The bodies of more than 260 persons were later found at the site. A classmate of his daughter who was in the army died in the fighting, as did a former pupil of his wife, who is a schoolteacher. “I feel helpless, helpless. We have a lot of criticism of our government, but this is just terrible. It is only now, as time goes by, that we understand the true horror of what happened and what they (attackers) did to people,” he said. | |
| Tours to Holy Land cancelled or postponed By Nadia Fazlulhaq Travel agents offering Christian Holy Land pilgrimage tours are forced to cancel or postpone their year-end tours due to the volatile situation. Agents who organise Bethlehem tours during Christmas have opted for cancellations as they fear the safety of pilgrims. “We will have to cancel our Holy Land pilgrimage tours due to the unsafe situation. It was with much difficulty that we got our last tour group back to the country from Israel last week,”said Jayantha Perera, Director of QWest Destinations. “Annually, we have about three tours. This year’s last one was scheduled to start on December 3. Many travel agents will cancel December tours as well as early next year,” he said. Each tour group consists of about 25–35 people, and the tour duration is seven to 10 days. Pilgrim groups visit Nazareth, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Mount Carmel, the Sea of Galilee, Jaffa City, Tel-Aviv, Haifa, and the Dead Sea. The war-struck Gaza is just 76 kilometres from Jerusalem. Another travel agent said the majority of her travel group consists of those between 40 and 70 years of age. “For some of the elderly pilgrims, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They are refusing to accept refunds and want us to postpone the pilgrimage tour until the heavy fighting is over or under control. Some have their lifetime’s savings put on the Holy Land pilgrimage,” she said. According to her, most Holy Land pilgrimage tours that came to a halt due to the pandemic commenced only this year.  Tour guides who usually take Israeli tourists around hold a protest
 A call to stop the war: Protests held in Colombo. Pix by Indika Handuwala and M.A. Pushpa Kumara
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