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Amid the continuing battle with Hamas and Hezbollah militants, Israel has revealed its robust dedication to make sure the security of over 450 Cambodian college students residing there whereas commending Cambodia for standing in solidarity with it by selecting to not evacuate any college students.
Orna Sagiv, an Israeli diplomat who has served as Ambassador to Thailand and non-resident ambassador to Cambodia since 2021, is on the three-day go to to the Kingdom which is scheduled to conclude at the moment.
On Tuesday, she met with Dith Tina, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, in Phnom Penh the place they mentioned numerous subjects, together with fashionable farming, meals safety, and human assets growth.
In an unique interview with Khmer Instances on Tuesday, Ambassador Sagiv expressed her appreciation for Cambodia’s solidarity with Israel throughout these difficult occasions.
She famous that in the course of the earlier levels of the battle, the Cambodian authorities was involved concerning the security of its college students. Nevertheless, they made a decisive determination based mostly on the idea that Israel is a pleasant nation, emphasising the precept of not leaving mates in occasions of issue.
“I’ve to say that it was very a lot appreciated,” she mentioned, highlighting former Prime Minister Hun Sen’s message that Cambodia ought to chorus from evacuating its college students to Israel until the Israeli authorities explicitly points an evacuation order.
Ambassador Sagiv mentioned all Cambodian college students have been moved to areas which are removed from the Gaza Strip, saying all of them are in secure locations. She mentioned many of the college students are usually not in areas the place even the missiles get them.
“We needed to do every thing we might with a purpose to be sure that the scholars have been secure, so we labored very intently along with your (Cambodian) Embassy in Bangkok, along with your Honorary Consul in Israel.
“Our embassy conveyed messages additionally to headquarters and we labored very intently with the colleges, the tutorial establishments the place the scholars keep to be sure that they’re all secure and sound,” she mentioned.
In accordance with Ambassador Sagiv, solely a “very small quantity” of scholars have left the nation because the battle broke out between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant teams final 12 months. She mentioned each the Cambodian and Israeli governments in addition to establishments all wish to guarantee their security.
“They may have come again right here (Cambodia) in the event that they needed however they like to remain,” she mentioned. “In addition they didn’t wish to miss the chance as a result of it’s type of a once-in-a-lifetime alternative to work, to be taught, to discover and I feel that they realised that they gained quite a bit from what they skilled.”
Mr Hun Sen, who’s the president of the ruling Cambodian Folks’s Social gathering and President of the Supreme Privy Council of the King, mentioned in October that the federal government shouldn’t evacuate college students in Israel if the Israeli authorities doesn’t order an evacuation, saying the scholars ought to stand their floor with Israel to indicate that they’ve “solidarity” with the Israeli folks.
Nevertheless, he mentioned that if the Israeli authorities required the Cambodian authorities to evacuate its college students, Cambodia would constitution a particular airplane to airlift them again dwelling.
“I wish to advocate that the Prime Minister (Hun Manet) if the Israeli authorities wants evacuation, we aren’t afraid of hiring a specifically chartered airplane to airlift our college students,” Mr Hun Sen mentioned, at the moment at an occasion the place Mr Hun Manet additionally attended.
Ambassador Sagiv talked about that the Kingdom sends roughly 450 college students to Israel yearly. These college students specialize in agriculture and embark on an 11-month programme, which distinguishes itself considerably from different programmes.
Throughout this era, they work together with college students from numerous areas, together with Latin America, Africa, Asia, and numerous different locations. The Cambodian contingent is notably substantial, probably even constituting the most important group collaborating in these programmes, she added.
“I consider that agriculture is one thing that you want to expertise your self firsthand, in order that they work with the Israeli farmers, they dwell on the farms,” she mentioned, including that some would transfer to different locations the place they develop cucumbers in addition to in dairy farms.
Yesterday Ambassador Sagiv additionally visited the household of deceased Cambodian pupil Chan Oudom, who was killed when Hamas launched a large-scale assault on Israel on October 7. She met the dad and mom of the Udom at their dwelling in Kandal province’s Koh Thom district.
Oudom, aged 24, was a third-year pupil within the college of veterinary medication on the Royal College of Agriculture in Phnom Penh. He was collaborating in an internship on a dairy farm at a kibbutz in southern Israel.
His family members have mentioned that he had arrived in Israel simply two weeks earlier than the onset of the lethal Hamas offensive.
Ambassador Sagiv mentioned her go to to the household of the sufferer, was to pay respect, to satisfy his household and to inform them that Israel “will always remember” them.
“We’re there for them, we are going to hold supporting them for the remainder of their lives, not solely in phrases but in addition with some monetary compensation that they are going to obtain endlessly,” she added.
In response to the state of affairs, Mr Hun Manet has directed the institution of an emergency shelter for Cambodian college students in Israel, situated roughly 300 km away from the Gaza Strip, the place the battle between Hamas and Israel is ongoing. This shelter is located close to the borders of Egypt and Jordan.
Authorities spokesman Pen Bona has indicated that numerous establishments, together with the Ministry of Overseas Affairs and Worldwide Cooperation, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Schooling, Youth and Sport, the Normal Division of Intelligence of the Ministry of Nationwide Defence, and different related entities, are intently monitoring the state of affairs in Israel.
On the battle with Hamas, Ambassador Sagiv mentioned on Tuesday that the Israeli authorities has promised its folks that Hamas “will not be capable of exist” and govern the Gaza Strip, saying that Israel goes to seek out the leaders of Hamas, labelling it a “barbaric terror organisation”.
“We’re at battle, we’re at battle with Hamas, not with the Muslim world and never with the Palestinians. I hope the world additionally understands the dangers which are surrounding us as a result of the dangers are usually not solely from the Gaza Strip, from the South, now we have Hezbollah from Lebanon in our northern border that every single day shoots many dozens and tons of of missiles, and now we have the Houthis from Yemen, sending ballistic missiles.”
She emphasised that Israel is dedicated to avoiding hurt to harmless Palestinians and people uninvolved within the battle. She highlighted that Israel is devoted to taking numerous measures by minimising their presence in areas of potential hazard and facilitating their relocation to safe zones.
“On the identical time, Israel does no matter we will to guard uninvolved folks, together with generally risking our troopers with a purpose to be sure that there aren’t any civilians, to try to ship these civilians into secure areas,” she mentioned.
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