Benjamin Netanyahu backs out of asylum-seeker deal
Israeli PM had agreed to grant some refugees residency while sending others to Germany and Canada
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suspended a deal struck with the United Nations refugee agency to resettle or give residency to thousands of African asylum seekers, just hours after news of the plan was made public.
Under the five-year deal, around 16,000 Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers currently in Israel who were facing prison or deportation would have been sent to countries including Germany, Italy and Canada.
Netanyahu had earlier announced that for every one of those that were resettled in the West, Israel would grant one asylum seeker “temporary residency”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Netanyahu faced strong criticism from “anti-migrant groups in southern Tel Aviv and powerful politicians in his own governing coalition”, says the BBC, leading him to rethink the deal.
Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett warned that the new UN deal would “turn Israel into a paradise for infiltrators”.
Both Italy and Germany said they were “unaware of any such resettlement deal”, says The Guardian, which has added to the confusion.
The UN deal was intended to replace a controversial plan that had resulted in the forced deportation of asylum seekers to African countries including Rwanda and Uganda.
It was halted by the Supreme Court, says The Times of Israel, after asylum seekers who had been deported said they were facing “serious danger and even imprisonment after arriving in Africa without proper documents”.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The pros and cons of GMOs
Pros and Cons The modified crops are causing controversy
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
6 historic homes in the colonial style
Feature A home in Connecticut
By The Week Staff Published
-
Dignity in defeat
Opinion Chicago White Sox players during a baseball game in Detroit, Michigan
By Theunis Bates Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Israel's suspected mobile device offensive pushes region closer to chaos
In the Spotlight After the mass explosion of pagers and walkie-talkies assigned to Hezbollah operatives across Lebanon, is all-out regional war next, or will Israel and its neighbors step back from the brink?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
A brief history of third parties in the US
In Depth Though none of America's third parties have won a presidential election, they have nonetheless had a large impact on the country's politics
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published