In Search Of Education And Livelihood

Since the last decade, Israel has been popularly known in Nepal for two main issues. One is their agricultural progress, which has attracted Nepalis to learn from them. The other is the on-the-job training opportunities encouraging the migration of Nepalis, mainly women, as care-givers there. Both these attractions have drawn Nepalis to the country for education and work. Unfortunately, this has now become the cause of death of ten Nepali students from Sudurpaschim University of Nepal who went to Israel on a ‘Learn and Earn’ project of 11 months. A total of 17 students had gone for this programme a month ago, now ten are dead, one has disappeared and four are injured and are under treatment and remaining two are safe according to the Nepal Foreign Ministry. 

The families of the dead Nepalis are now sinking in grief and the Nepal Government has announced Tuesday 10th October as a mourning day in Nepal. The government also decided to give Rs one million to the family of each deceased. No matter what the compensation, the loss for the families and nation is unimaginable. According to the 10th October, 2023 editorial of The Rising Nepal, there are around 4,500 Nepalis currently working as caregivers in Israel while 265 students are studying there under the ‘Learn and Earn’ scheme. Out of them, 119 students have gone from the Agriculture University, 97 from the Tribhuwan University and 49 from the Sudurpaschim University. The government has announced that they will facilitate the process of bringing back those Nepalis who are currently residing in Israel if they desire to return back. The government is also in the process of bringing back the bodies of the Nepalis who have died in the on-going war in Israel.  

Unprecedented attack

On Saturday, the 7th October 2023, Hamas made an unprecedented attack on Israel on a holy day of the Christians there.  Since then, according to a report on CNN, 900 people have died in Israel. The Israelis in turn lunched their counter attack in the Gaza Strip after Hamas attacked the Israelis from multiple places, resulting in the deaths of 680 Palestinians according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. There are 2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza with an estimated population of 50 per cent children. Hamas also has taken 100 Israeli civilians from other countries as hostages and are threatening to kill them if Israel targets people in the Gaza without warning. 

Hamas is a Palestinian militant group that has taken control of the Gaza strip since 2007 and has fought several wars with Israel on the hope of converting it into an Islamic State. Hamas presents itself as an alternative to the Palestinian Authority (PA) led by M Abbas. In 1987, Hamas was formed during the first uprising against the Israeli occupation of the Gaza and West bank. The word ‘Hamas’ is an acronym for the Arabic phrase meaning Islamic Resistance Movement. It has been designated as a terrorist group by the USA, European Union, UK and other nations.  In 1993, through the Oslo Accords, a peace pact was reached between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) forming the PA in the Israeli occupied West Bank. 

The recent attack by Hamas from the Gaza strip, which is 147 square miles area, was a surprise attack on places like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The militants have infiltrated 22 towns and army bases by land, air and sea. Hamas is known to be provided with financial and other support from Iran and is also known to collaborate with Hezbollah, another US designated terrorist group known to be backed by Iran and based in Lebanon. History has it that between 1922-47, Jewish migration from Eastern and Central Europe surged towards the Gaza Strip, resulting to their exodus mostly during the World War II. The migration of the Jews displaced the Palestinians and they started revolting. In 1948, the state of Israel was established by the UN and it was recognised as a new nation by the USA followed by others. 

The first Arab Israel war broke on 1948 itself but Israel claimed victory. Since then, the tension between the Palestinians and the Israelis have become a never-ending phenomenon. This has further been compounded by recent Israeli settlements in Palestinian lands in Gaza and the West Bank. The human race is supposed to be the most civilised living beings on earth; however, history has shown that the fighting and killings of each other in the quest of claiming and protecting their territories has resulted in wars where mostly innocent people get killed. Currently, the world is invested with such destructive atmosphere in several regions of the world. The UN and powerful nations like the USA seem to raise voice and be involved in establishing the peace process, but have not succeeded fully. 

Intransient attitudes

The struggle to come to power and retain it by militant organisations or ambitious politicians have led to never-ending destructions on both sides. When the Hamas decided to launch a surprise attack on Israel last Saturday, there was a music festival going on and the Jews were celebrating their festival. Not only the Jews living there were targeted by Hamas, but the people from different countries including Nepal, Thailand, the USA, UK and Germany, among others, lost their lives. When the Israeli force counter-attacked them, the Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip lost their lives unaware of the fact that they were to be attacked. 

Now they are facing the brunt of this unwanted war and are facing immense hardships because of scarcity of fuel, water and food. The innocent victims in both Israel and Palestine are suffering because of the belligerent and intransient attitudes of their governments and militant groups that are bent on destroying each other. The only way to solve the Israeli-Palestinian imbroglio and the vicious circle of provocation and violence is for the international brokers to sit down at the negotiation table and iron out their differences in an amicable way and a win-win situation. 

(Namrata Sharma is a senior journalist and women rights advocate. namrata1964@yahoo.com Twitter handle: @NamrataSharmaP)