Netanyahu pledges 'action' on Africa migrants

[Contra Mundum]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday highlighted the dangers of an uncontrollable influx of African migrants to the Jewish state while vowing he would act to resolve the issue.


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem. Netanyahu on Sunday highlighted the dangers of an uncontrollable influx of African migrants to the Jewish state while vowing he would act to resolve the issue.

The phenomenon of "illegal work infiltrators" is "very grave and threatens the social fabric of society, our national security and our national identity," he told ministers at the weekly cabinet meeting.

If Israel did not prevent illegal African migrants from entering, the current "60,000 illegal infiltrators could easily grow to 600,000 illegal infiltrators.

"This would inundate the state and, to a considerable degree, cancel out its image as a Jewish and democratic state," Netanyahu said in remarks relayed by his office.

Official figures for 2011 showed there were some 52,487 illegal African immigrants in Israel by the end of the year, but the statistics do not differentiate between refugees and economic migrants.

Some are asylum seekers fleeing persecution, while others are economic migrants. Many of them from Sudan and Eritrea. Almost all of them sneak across the border from the Egyptian Sinai and end up living in the run-down neighbourhoods around Tel Aviv's central bus station.

The heated debate over the rising tide of African nationals arriving in Israel was highlighted last week by the indictment of a young Israeli on charges of arson after he threw Molotov cocktails at migrant homes in south Tel Aviv.

And on Friday, police said they had arrested three Eritrean nationals in connection with the rape of a 15-year-old girl.

Over the weekend, the issue dominated the Israeli press, with news channels hosting pundits and airing the frustrations of residents of Tel Aviv and the southern Red Sea resort town of Eilat, also a key destination for arrivals from Africa.

Netanyahu said the first need was "to build a physical barrier" referring to the 250-kilometre (155-mile) fence that Israel is constructing along the Egyptian border.

He also vowed to "severely punish" those employing illegal immigrants and that Israel would ensure the "physical removal" of the migrants, without specifying how.

At the start of the year, Netanyahu said he was planning to visit several African capitals to discuss the issue of immigration, but so far no such plans have been made public.

[gossimer]

Everyone has problems with Africans. Even the Jews!

[Contra Mundum]

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomac...rants-1.432518
U.S. criticizes Israel's treatment of African migrants in annual human rights report

By Natasha Mozgovaya | May.25, 2012 | 2:13 AM




Secretary of State Hilary Clinton presented on Thursday the State Department's 2011 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices that criticizes Israel for its treatment of African migrants, an issue vigorously debated in Israeli public discourse lately.

The report states that Sudanese and Eritrean asylum seekers, which are about 85 percent of African migrants in Israel "were not allowed access to asylum procedures but were given renewable 'conditional release' documents that deferred deportation and had to be renewed every few months."

The report quotes statistics provided by the UNHCR, showing that during the year out of 4,603 new asylum applications 3,692 were rejected. Only one was approved. 6,412 cases remained pending at year’s end.

The report also critically mentioned that the Israeli government officials "often negatively referred to asylum seekers as 'infiltrators' and periodically characterized asylum seekers as directly associated with rises in crime, disease, and terrorism."
The report specifically mentions December 2011 interview of the Minister of Interior Eli Yishai with the IDF radio, in which he promised to "ensure that the last of the Sudanese, and the Eritreans, and all of the infiltrators, to the last of them, will return to their countries.”

The report also referred to criticism by NGO's of "the lack of medical treatment upon arrival for asylum seekers who had been abused, raped, and tortured in Egypt" and the petition filed by one of NGO's in the Be’er Sheva District Court "regarding the segregation of children of asylum seekers in the city of Eilat, who were not accepted into the school system but forced to study in a makeshift school outside of Eilat’s municipal boundary."

Meanwhile, the Anti-Defamation League expressed "serious concern" on Thursday following the violent protest against African migrants in southern Tel-Aviv. Abraham Foxman, ADL National Director, said in a statement that "while we recognize the complexity involved in properly addressing this issue, and sympathize with Israeli citizens whose personal security has been compromised by the lawlessness and violence of some migrants, we are disturbed by inflammatory public statements made by certain Israeli officials, some of which has veered into racism. These statements are counterproductive and only serve to further inflame tensions."

Foxman called on all parties "to work to calm the tensions" and commended Prime Minister Netanyahu for his condemnation of the inflammatory comments by the members of Knesset that took part in the demonstration, and "his commitment to resolving this crisis responsibly."

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs President Rabbi Steve Gutow said Israeli authorities "must see that this vulnerable population, some of whom were forced from their homes by politically and racially motivated persecution, is fully protected." Recognizing the challenge the constant flow of migrants poses to Israel, Gutow said that it's "never an excuse for violence and bigotry. We hope and expect that the authorities will take effective measures to protect this population from further violence and that legitimate requests by refugees to remain in Israel based on fear of persecution in their home countries will be considered humanely and with due process taking into account internationally accepted norms."

[Contra Mundum]

I support more Africans in Israel. They need to diversify.

[Sikeliot]

I support more Africans in Israel. They need to diversify.

Jews want multiculturalism everywhere except in Israel.

[Osprey]

Their Jewish Princesses must not be defiled by grubby africans.

[Aces High]

Nazi's....these people bring with them a glorious culture and food and music that can only enrich the jews and israel.
Plus they do the work the jews dont want to do.....
The israel NHS would collapse with out them.......
They are as jewish as anyone else..........


(I cant remember the other shite that is trawled out every time the immigration question comes up in the west)

[Supreme American]

Jews want multiculturalism everywhere except in Israel.

And intermarriage.

[Sigur Rós]

Oh boy, what an oxymoron !

[The Lawspeaker]

I support more Africans in Israel. They need to diversify.

I couldn't agree more with you. We should lecture the Jews on tolerance and tell them to quit their racial prejudice and embrace multiculturalism and create diversity boards and help Africans migrating to Israel. Hell.. we will help the Africans that are here to migrate to Israel.