By Chinniah Rajeshkumar –

Chinniah Rajeshkumar

The Sri Lankan ambassador to Israel, Nimal Bandara, arranged a study tour for Sri Lankan journalists to “educate” foreign media, and 16 journalists arrived in Israel on 6 September 2025.

This is an extremely critical juncture, during which the last settler-colonial state of Israel has shown its ugliest face of violence and brutality against the Palestinian people, seemingly determined to exterminate them—a pattern reminiscent of Nazi Germany’s persecution of Jewish people in the last century. A section of  progressive Jewish people and also those with Jewish religious faith   in Israel and abroad are horrified by the brutality of Zionism and have expressed their solidarity with Palestinians. At this moment, the Sri Lankan state is attempting to appease the Zionist state by allowing Sri Lankan journalists to participate in an “educational” tour of Israel.

Journalists have the right to travel abroad to compile reports and raise public awareness. However, it is deplorable that they went on a guided tour arranged by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence to “study” the situation. Since 7 October 2023, Israel has banned international journalists from independently entering Gaza. Even some pro-Israeli European states have demanded media access to Gaza and condemned Israel for restricting press freedom.

The UN Office of Human Rights recently released a statement condemning targeted attacks on journalists in Gaza. The statement noted that “at least 248 journalists have now been killed in Gaza, more than in any other conflict in modern times.”

The ethics and impartiality of journalists were seriously lacking among those who joined the tour.   

Crucially , the Sri Lankan journalists should have declined the invitation to attend the guided press tour organized by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence. Such a refusal would have demonstrated solidarity with the 248 journalists who have been killed in Gaza and with independent reporters who continue to be denied access to the territory.

Historically, the United States introduced “embedded journalism,” particularly during the Gulf War, when ground rules forced journalists to travel and live with American forces. They were not allowed to move independently or use their own vehicles. Former military intelligence analyst Manning highlights the military’s tendency is to select reporters expected to produce favourable coverage. The Israeli settler colonial logic is a continuity and reframing of embedded journalism in such a way by ‘ educating’ them to produce reports in favour of  their settler colonial project. In this process, the Sri Lankan journalists who chose to join the ‘guided education tour’ are guilty of bias and have become an integral part of the settler-colonial discourse.

While journalists can be partly blamed,  it is the Sri Lankan state’s  moral and political responsibility is in the limelight.

The current Sri Lankan government has taken contradictory stances. While the Foreign Minister expressed unwavering support for the Palestinian struggle during a meeting with Palestinian Ambassador Ihab Khalil in June 2025, diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Israel have simultaneously deepened. As a highlight of this relationship, a controversial “educational” tour for journalists was organized. Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa, at a press briefing, stated: “The government will not bear any responsibility. Anyone is free to go to Israel; there is no ban on visiting. We cannot obstruct this.”

It is alleged that Vijitha Dissanayake, Director of Sports, and Prasad, Assistant Director of English News—both from Rupavahini , a state controlled media  —took part in this trip. Furthermore, reports suggest that staff members from ITN and the state-controlled FM radio also participated in the so-called “educational” visit. According to Section 12 of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation Act, the Corporation has the authority to dismiss or exercise disciplinary control over its staff. Therefore, the minister’s statement holds no weight in this regard.

During the South African apartheid era, Sri Lanka did not maintain diplomatic relations with South Africa. As an active member of the Non-Aligned Movement, Sri Lanka adhered firmly to its principles against apartheid. The governments of SWRD Bandaranaike and Sirimavo Bandaranaike strongly supported the Palestinian people. In 1971, the United Front alliance closed down the Israeli embassy and established ties with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

It  was the United National Party (UNP) government that favoured settler-colonialist Israel, especially under JR Jayewardene, who established strong links with Israel, purchasing weapons and fighter planes. Under Mahavali project, Mossad advised the settlement of Sinhalese in Tamil villages, and the Israeli government trained Sri Lankan armed forces. The late President R Premadasa was an exception within the UNP tradition, suspending diplomatic ties with Israel in 1992. Later, in 2020,  the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government encouraged Israeli assistance in technology and agriculture, continuing the UNP legacy of giving Israel diplomatic status in Sri Lanka.

After Ranil Wickremesinghe became President in July 2022 without peoples mandate, he deepened relations further. In October 2023, just a month after Israel began bombing and killing civilians in Gaza, he signed an agreement to send 10,000 Sri Lankan farm workers to Israel. Around the same time, Israel banned 20,000 Palestinian workers from entering its territory, and the Sri Lankan government shamelessly provided a replacement workforce. Later, another 20,000 Sri Lankan workers were sent to Israel.

The present NPP government appears to be following the UNP’s path by strengthening ties with Israel at a critical moment, when hundreds of thousands of people around the world are demonstrating against Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinian people. Several countries have severed economic or diplomatic ties with Israel, while human rights organizations and the UN have condemned its apartheid system and ethnic cleansing policies. Although most Western countries continue to support Israel militarily, they issued a joint statement in July 2025 calling on Israel to end the war and opposing any territorial or demographic changes in the occupied Palestinian territories. By contrast, many Asian, Latin American, and African countries have strongly opposed Israel’s actions, with several cutting ties. India, however, under its right-wing Hindutva government, has chosen to deepen bilateral defense cooperation with Israel “from a long-term perspective.” Meanwhile, the right wing,  Trump administration in the United States continues to provide Israel with unconditional support.

The Palestinian struggle is not just the struggle of the Palestinian people, but a struggle against settler colonialism and imperialism. It is clear how a constellation of imperialist forces supports Israel, whereas progressive and democratic forces stand with the Palestinians.

It is worth recalling that during the apartheid era in South Africa, when Bandula Warnapura chose to tour South Africa with a rebel cricket team in 1982–83, those cricketers were banned from representing Sri Lanka. The state was proactive in banning cricketers to show solidarity with the anti-apartheid struggle. However, instead of discouraging or banning journalists from attending the guided tour, the NPP government provided state support, which is alarming.

Today, the Sri Lankan government is once again failing to take a principled position against settler colonialism and imperialism. It suffers from double vision—expressing support for the Palestinian struggle while simultaneously strengthening ties with a settler-colonial state.  Following the UNP’s path of entertaining settler colonialism is an anathema to inclusive politics and democracy . Progressive forces within the NPP must resist such duplicity. Likewise, democratic and progressive movements in Sri Lanka should continue to pressure the government to sever or at least minimize diplomatic relations with Israel- the last bastion of settler colonialism .

*Ragavan  (Chinniah Rajeshkumar) is a social activist based in London. He is one of the founding members of the LTTE. He left the LTTE in 1984 and has since been critical of its authoritarianism and ethno-nationalism. He is campaigning for pluralism and democracy in Sri Lanka.