FM Saud talks to Israel counterpart

Asks him to facilitate repatriation of bodies of deceased, safety of other Nepalis

Kathmandu, Oct. 10

The government on Tuesday urged Israel for coordination and facilitation in early repatriation of mortal remains of deceased Nepalis, safety, security and relocation of Nepali nationals to safer areas, and repatriation of those who wish to return home.

Ten Nepali students pursuing higher studies in Israel have been killed in the attacks of Palestine rebel group Hamas. They had reached there under 'learn and earn' programme.

Foreign Affairs Minister, NP Saud, talked to his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen to seek support on bringing back the dead bodies, assisting in the treatment and care of the four Nepali nationals who were injured in the attack, and finding the whereabouts of a Nepali citizen who has gone out of contact after the attack.

Stating that the country is shocked by the death of 10 Nepali citizens in the attack of the rebel Hamas group, FM Saud urged Israeli FM Cohen, "We need to return the bodies of the dead to the country as soon as possible. Even a little delay will add more pain to the family members. Therefore, I request for the necessary coordination and facilitation for the return of the dead bodies to Nepal. The Nepali embassy will coordinate with the government of Israel."

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of Nepal, four Nepalis are being treated in Israeli hospitals. FM Saud requested Israel to support them in their proper health treatment and care. He also asked Minister Cohen to help the Nepali citizens who have been relocated to a safe place by the Israeli army for their basic needs including food.

"So far, we have received information that other Nepalis are safe. However, information has been received that many of them are staying in bunkers," he said during the conversation. "They are constantly calling their friends and family for basic needs like food and water. We hope for proper support from the Israeli government in this matter as well.”

Stating that Nepali Embassy in Israel is coordinating with the authorities in Kathmandu and Tel Aviv, FM Saud sought FM Cohen's support in relocating Nepalis living in bunkers to other safer places.

The MoFA is collecting the details of Nepali citizens in Israel and after the details are collected, it will request for the necessary assistance from the Israeli government for facilitation.

"We are collecting details of our citizens who want to return home. After the complete details are collected, the Nepal government will request for necessary support from the Israeli government for facilitation," FM Saud said.

According to the MoFA, during the conversation, Minister Saud expressed his sympathy for the loss of life and property caused by the attack and said that the Government of Nepal stood in solidarity with the government of Israel in this difficult time.

In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Cohen expressed his condolences for the loss of life of 10 Nepalis in the attack and wished for the recovery of the injured Nepali citizens.

He thanked the Government of Nepal for expression of solidarity and assured Israel government's full support in early repatriation of the mortal remains and return of Nepalis desiring to return home.

 

FM advises not to visit Israel

The government has urged all concerned not to visit Israel without obtaining a high-level approval from the government.

Speaking at the meeting of the International Relations and Tourism Committee (IRTC) of the House of Representatives of the Federal Parliament on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister, NP Saud, has urged all concerned not to visit Israel for any personal or political reasons except on a political level.

The IRTC had summoned FM Saud to solicit the updates about the situation of Nepalis in Israel in the wake of the recent attack on Israel by Palestinian Hamas.

He made this request while informing the International Relations and Tourism Committee of the Parliament about the attack on Israel and the situation of the Nepalis there.

Minister Saud informed that Israel's situation is sensitive after the attack by Hamas group and asked not to politicize the current situation.

The situation is sensitive. Therefore, apart from an official decision at the political level, it is requested not to visit Israel on a personal or party basis," he said. "Let's not politicize this situation."

FM Saud also urged the lawmakers not to politicize the current critical situation. "This is a very sensitive situation. I urge all not to politicize the issue and not to make a visit to Israel," he said.

"The Cabinet has recommended that the government should charter an aircraft to rescue and bring back Nepalis from Israel. Meanwhile, international flights are not yet suspended in Israel so we can also use those services," he informed the House Committee.

The government is also looking for options to bring out Nepalis to the nearest transit from Israel.

 

Need to empower embassies

Recent attack of Palestine rebel group Hamas on Isreal and killing of 10 Nepali nationals has again exposed the lack of preparedness and poor communication system of Nepali missions in sensitive locations.

The Embassy of Nepal in Tel Aviv of Israel has only three personnel including the Ambassador. There are about 4,500 Nepalis in Israel and the embassy is also accredited to Cyprus. Nepal doesn't have direct flight service to Israel and if it wants to conduct chartered flights, we have to obtain flight permissions from all the countries en route, said FM Saud.

Speaking at the meeting of the IRTC, he said that the government is planning to add one local staff to support in the process of rescuing Nepali citizens.

Committee Chair, Raj Kishor Yadav, asked the government to keep updated details of Nepalis in foreign countries.

Lawmakers said that the government should be prepared to handle and manage the crisis like the one in Israel as it can happen in other countries in the Middle East and elsewhere.

"Crisis can emerge in Lebanon and other countries in that region. Government should create a policy and strategy for such steps," said Sunita Baral, a lawmaker, while adding that it is unfortunate that Mission of Nepal has not been prepared to manage such crisis.

Another lawmaker, Damodar Poudel, criticised the government for poor communication and management system in Nepali embassies including the one in Tel Aviv.

"Are we prepared to rescue all our citizens if they wished to come back? We should be ready to send more support and human resource to manage the crisis faced by our citizens as the situation could be worsened," said lawmaker Dhawal Shumsher Rana.

Likewise, lawmaker Shishir Khanal, suggested deploying more skilled ambassadors in sensitive areas who can handle the situation in calm and composed manner.

Another lawmaker Bhim Acharya said that the government should learn from this and past lacking and challenges in the management of crisis like in Israel and immediately devise ways to enhance the capacity of Nepali diplomats and missions abroad.

"Nepal should also issue travel advisory while sending its citizens to critical and unsafe destinations," he said.

Similarly, lawmaker Barsha Man Pun suggested requesting for help from the countries neighbouring Israel. "Government and MoFA must be proactive in disseminating authentic information during the crisis. Otherwise, rumours would spread which will do more harm," he said. 

Published in The Rising Nepal on 11 October 2023.