A growing sense of unease appears to be developing within sections of Sri Lankan society regarding what is increasingly perceived as “special treatment” being afforded to certain Israeli visitors arriving in the country.
Particular attention has centred around reports of heightened security arrangements surrounding Chabad centres and selected Israeli-linked locations, including the provision of armed police protection.
Be that as it may, the issue extends beyond security itself.
The deeper public question emerging is this:
why should Sri Lanka, a country itself struggling with economic pressures, resource constraints and domestic law-and-order demands, be seen as allocating extraordinary protection to a very small category of foreign visitors while many ordinary Sri Lankans themselves increasingly complain of inadequate policing and public security responsiveness?
We spoke to a resident of Colombo, indignant but afraid to reveal the name who said,
“If the Israeli people are not comfortable then they should not come to Colombo or anywhere in Sri Lanka. Just because they are scared does it mean we the public in this country should pay for armed security? Do they give armed security to our citizens who go there and do menial tasks and who are treated with racism and mostly as modern-day slaves?”
The optics are politically sensitive.
Particularly because sections of the public also allege that some visitors arriving from Israel may include individuals on “rest and recuperation” breaks connected to military service linked to the ongoing war in Gaza Strip.
There is presently no public evidence suggesting wrongdoing by such visitors in Sri Lanka itself. Nor should individuals automatically be criminalised merely on the basis of nationality or military background.
Be that as it may, several businesses in the East Coast operate exclusively for non-sri lankans. This is a modern day term for reverse racism. Businesses are operated in a form of ‘front-running’ owned by a Sri Lankan, but operated by the new so-called ‘settlers’ – who according to ‘Mohammed’ have “finished stealing the Palestinian lands and are now coming to inhabit my Eastern coast”. The air is quite toxic whilst local resentment towards those who sold their lands at exobitant prices to the Israeli settlers is very high. Some said highly combustible.
However, the political context globally cannot be ignored.
The military campaign conducted by Israel in Gaza has triggered widespread international condemnation, massive protests across Western capitals, allegations of disproportionate force and repeated accusations of collective punishment and possible genocidal conduct – allegations strongly denied by the Israeli government, which maintains that its operations are directed against Hamas following the October 7 attacks.
Simultaneously, tensions involving Lebanon and the broader regional security environment continue to deepen.
Against this backdrop, sections of Sri Lankan civil society increasingly question whether Colombo risks being perceived as politically tone-deaf or diplomatically imbalanced in the manner such security accommodations are handled publicly.
Sri Lanka historically positioned itself as sympathetic to the Palestinian cause while simultaneously maintaining diplomatic relations with Israel. That balancing act was often managed quietly and pragmatically. The Arabo World is unlikely to forget the actions of the world’s first woman Prime Minister, Sirimavo Bandaranaike or the hand of friendship extended by Minister, then President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the people of Palestine.
But the modern social media era has radically altered public perception management.
Images of armed protection around select foreign-linked facilities now circulate instantly and are interpreted politically, emotionally and ideologically far beyond their original security rationale.
The government therefore faces a delicate challenge.
Protecting all lawful visitors and diplomatic-linked religious institutions is part of state responsibility.
Yet equally important is avoiding the appearance that one category of foreign visitor enjoys exceptional treatment amid one of the most controversial and emotionally charged international conflicts of the modern era.
Because in geopolitics, perception itself often becomes policy.
