Following the death of four Thai workers in an orchard near the border with Lebanon on Thursday, Thailand has demanded that Israel not allow Thai workers to do agricultural work in the “confrontation line” area near the border. Thailand also called on Thai citizens to avoid nonurgent travel to Israel.
As of May, an estimated 29,000 Thai workers were employed in agriculture in Israel, almost back to the 30,000 or so who were working in Israel during the October 7 attacks. A total of 46 Thai workers have been killed in Israel since the war broke out, and eight of the 23 Thai citizens taken hostage on October 7 are still held in Hamas captivity.
According to the Bangkok Post, the most read paper in Thailand, Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa made this demand by letter on Saturday. He also wrote that the number of Thai workers who enter Israel will be reduced in coordination with the Thai embassy in Tel Aviv.
“It’s completely understandable that some of us went abroad to work for better lives, but the current situation in some parts of the Middle East is extremely irregular, with a significant increase in violence in this ongoing conflict,” Sangiampongsa said.
Dr. Yahel Kurlander, a labor sociologist who specialized in Thai agricultural workers in Israel, called on Israel to do more to protect Thai workers.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has not yet responded to the Thai demand.
This article was translated from Hebrew by Leah Schwartz.
