This is more about the on-going controversy surrounding African ‘asylum-seekers’ who got into Israel before their border fence was complete. The Israeli high court has ruled that Africans imprisoned in Israel must be given a trial.
One political leader who is vehemently opposed to the decision, said what so many people haven’t the nerve to say to liberal promoters of refugee resettlement—-why don’t you take one to your neighborhood? Better still go one step further and open your own homes to them? Indeed that would be true Christian or Jewish charity!
Here is the story in the Failed Messiah (as always emphasis is mine):
On Monday, Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled that the government is not allowed to imprison African refugees years without trial. Until now, the government has detained some African refugees for as long as three years under the Knesset’s Prevention of Infiltration Law amendment, even though they have not been charged with crimes and have not had trials. The court ruled 9-0 that the Prevention of Infiltration Law amendment amendment is unconstitutional.
There are reportedly currently 1,750 African refugees imprisoned without trial. Most of those are Sudanese and Eritrean.
The government has 90 days to comply with the ruling.
The High Court’s decision infuriated right wing Knesset members, Yeshiva World reported, and also enraged many Israelis living in South Tel Aviv where large numbers of African refugees congregate.
MK Eli Yishai of the Sefardi haredi Shas Party lashed out at the court’s justices yesterday in an interview with Israel Radio.
“[The justices and left wing refugee advocates should] take one [African refugee] home to their own area and then talk to me,” Yishai reportedly fumed. He also insisted that African refugees have destroyed southern Tel Aviv with crime and with their lifestyle and said he would continue his efforts imprison all of them, despite the High Court’s ruling.
Yishai justified his open defiance of the High Court of Justice by claiming that his first loyalty is to the citizens of Israel and the State of Israel – not to the African refugees he refers to as “infiltrators.”
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni said the court’s ruling forces her and her Knesset colleagues to find another solution to the problem.
“Most of them are not refugees as they wish us to believe…If there is no solution we will have to find one. There is the issue of addressing the border and preventing infiltrations and then the matter of how we deal with those already in the country,” Livini reportedly said, indicating that deportation may have to be that answer.
Under international agreements signed by Israel and international law, deporting many of these refugees would be illegal.
The Knesset’s Interior Committee Chairwoman MK Miri Regev was even more blunt than Livni.
“[the court’s decision] is the Garden of Eden for the infiltrators and hell for southern Tel Aviv residents,” Regev reportedly said. She wants to pass a bill immediately to overrule the High Court’s ruling so the “infiltrators” can be kept locked up.
There is more read it all.
Our Israel and refugees archive is here.
Photo is here.