Kathmandu, 18 June: Biratnagar Mayor Nagesh Koirala had been stranded in war-torn Israel for the past five days. He had traveled there on Jestha 26 (June 8) with the aim of learning about agricultural practices and cooperative systems.
However, during his visit, a war broke out between the two Middle Eastern countries, Israel and Iran. As the uncontrolled exchange of heavy artillery between these two nations armed with advanced weaponry became a global concern, Mayor Koirala, who had gone from Nepal, found himself stuck in the middle of the battlefield.
Since the war began last Thursday, most of his time had been spent inside a bunker.
Whenever the missile sirens went off, he and other members of the visiting team would rush into the bunker, and after the sirens stopped, they would come out for a short while.
Speaking to us over the phone on Monday, Mayor Koirala had said, “I’ve spent five days going in and out of bunkers. Now, I’m just waiting for the day I can return to Nepal.”
That period of waiting has come to an end.
As all international airports in Israel were shut down due to the war, he is now returning to Nepal via the neighboring country of Jordan.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he had been staying at a cooperative guest house in the city of Sde Nehemia, about 30 kilometers from the Israeli capital, and on Tuesday morning, he left for Jordan.
“We have received information that he left for Jordan this morning,” said Krishna Prasad Dhakal, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement to Setopati. “That’s what I understand,” he added.
Mayor Koirala’s press coordinator, Meen Kumar Shrestha, also confirmed the news.
According to Shrestha, Koirala will travel from Jordan to Kuwait, then to Mumbai, India, followed by Delhi, and finally return to Nepal.
“He is expected to arrive in Nepal by Wednesday evening,” said Shrestha. “We haven’t been able to contact him at the moment, probably because he is en route.”
On Monday, we had also spoken with Nepal’s ambassador to Israel, Dhan Prasad Pandit. He had mentioned that the embassy was working to send Mayor Koirala to a safe location as soon as possible.
He also informed that the Jordanian border is about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Sde Nehemia.
“The embassy has been working to send him to a safe country by arranging a visa to a neighboring nation,” he said.
According to Shrestha, Koirala received his Jordanian visa on Monday evening.
Ambassador Pandit stated that all Nepalis currently in Israel are safe. Approximately 2,000 Nepalis had arrived through official government programs. In addition, around 350 are working in the agricultural sector, and there are 7 students. About 1,000 Nepalis are there with Indian passports, and some have entered Israel from other countries as well.
“It’s estimated that there are between 5,000 to 7,000 Nepalis in Israel,” said Ambassador Pandit, “but neither Nepal nor Israel has the exact number.”
He assured that all Nepalis residing in Israel for various purposes are currently safe.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are also 12 Nepalis in Iran, and they too are reported to be safe.
