Safety of Fijians in Israel is 'Top Priority'

The safety of more than 300 Fijians in Israel is Government's top priority, says Deputy Prime Minister, Viliame Gavoka.

The Minister for Civil Aviation made the statement in response to queries on the situation in Israel and the return Fiji Airways charter flight that was planned to depart Tel Aviv on October 10. Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise and unprecedented attack on Israel early Saturday morning, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responding by declaring war against Hamas.

More than 200 Israelis were killed and thousands injured because of the attacks into the Israel territory and at least 232 people in Gaza were killed in the retaliatory Israeli strikes.

Mr Gavoka said Government was alerted of the situation in Israel on Saturday night and had been monitoring the situation closely.

"Fundamentally, our position is to ensure that they are safe. Safety is paramount," Mr Gavoka said.

"We have been assured that they are all okay, the situation might take a few days depending on how Israel responds to the situation onthe ground.

"We are not rushing anything; we are watching it closely."

He said Government was in touch with the Fijian people in Israel and doing everything possible to ensure they were safe.

"We want them to be safe, so we are encouraging them to adhere to safety protocols that have been put in place for their safety by Israel authorities. Stay put until the situation clears," Mr Gavoka said.

"Fiji A irways will be closely liaising with them."

He said more than 200 Fijians were in Israel as part of the first chartered flight to Tel Aviv for the annual Feast of Tabernacles.

"For contingency plans, we want our people in Israel to be safe; we want our airline to be safe and also the crew of our airline to be safe," he said.

"Our aircraft should not be flying in a hostile environment. When everything is clear then we would be able to make a decision on that." Embassy plans

On plans to establish an embassy in Israel, Mr Gavoka said that was a commitment that had been made of which Government was committed to.

"The area can be a hostile one. It is one of the most difficult places on earth, but it is somewhere we want to establish a relationship with and yes, an embassy will be how we could establish that well."

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