The Sri Lankan government has expanded its labour migration programme with Israel, deploying thousands of Sri Lankan workers to replace Palestinian labourers who have been blocked from employment.
Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Sri Lankan and Israeli governments, 6,092 Sri Lankan workers have secured employment in Israel’s construction sector, with 1,018 already departing in 2025. On March 4, another 20 workers received airline tickets under the patronage of Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) Chairman Kosala Wickramasinghe, while additional groups are set to leave in the coming weeks.
Similarly, Sri Lanka has been dispatching agricultural workers to Israel, with 2,252 individuals scheduled for employment in 2024 alone. This expansion follows a pattern set in 2023, when Sri Lanka signed a deal with Israel that set Colombo to send 10,000 farm workers to the country after as many as 20,000 Palestinian agricultural workers were banned by the Israeli government.
The decision to strengthen labour ties comes despite Israel’s military assault on Gaza, where over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023. The Sri Lankan government has publicly demanded ceasefires and humanitarian aid for Gaza, as well as supporting Palestinian self-determination. Yet it has also continued to strengthen ties with Israel.
In March 2024, Sri Lanka even opened a new consulate in Haifa, one of Israel’s major trade and industrial hubs, further cementing diplomatic and economic ties. A week later, Sri Lankan and Israeli officials discussed new trade opportunities in the gem, jewellery, cinnamon, and agricultural sectors.
**Replacing Palestinian workers**
Israel’s agricultural sector, particularly in the central and southern regions, has long relied on Palestinian and Thai workers to sustain its farming industry. However, after the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, the Israeli government revoked Palestinian worker permits, leaving thousands of vacancies. In response, Israel turned to Sri Lanka as a key supplier of migrant labour to fill the gap.
In September 2024, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) handed out airline tickets to 69 Sri Lankans, marking the beginning of a broader plan to send workers for five-year contracts under an agreement between Sri Lanka’s Bureau of Foreign Employment and Israel’s FIBA organisation.
The SLFEB has consistently downplayed safety concerns, even as Israel’s war in Gaza and Lebanon intensifies.