Job seekers claim they were left stranded in Israel programme

By Mangala Pavithrani 

Frustrated after waiting more than 15 months for promised jobs in Israel, a group of Sri Lankan job seekers staged a protest outside the Presidential Secretariat yesterday, demanding immediate action over delays affecting more than 500 candidates selected under the 2024 ‘Israel Reston’ recruitment programme for the restaurant sector.   

The protesters said they were among the first batch of applicants selected for the programme and had remained in the web system for more than 15 months without being sent for employment opportunities in Israel.   

They claimed that many of them had lost their jobs and sources of income while awaiting placement opportunities.  Holding placards which read “Stop the attempt to remove us from the system immediately” the protesters urged the authorities to provide a fair solution.   

Several protesters said they had resigned from permanent jobs with the expectation of securing employment in Israel and were now facing severe financial difficulties after waiting for more than a year.   

“We request the authorities to give us priority on humanitarian grounds and make arrangements to send us to Israel for employment.” several protesters said.   

The group also alleged that authorities had earlier promised to send job confirmation messages before February 20, 2025, but no proper update had been provided since then.   

They further claimed that they had successfully completed difficult physical tests during the selection process, including running two kilometres within 11 minutes and carrying a 50-kilogram sandbag for 100 metres.   

According to the protesters, the current recruitment process no longer includes such physical tests and newly selected groups were being sent to Israel while their applications continued to be ignored.   

The protesters said their main objective was to present their grievances to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath and seek justice regarding the issue.