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”.
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”.
-
Who were the ‘weekend snipers’ of Sarajevo?Under the Radar Italian authorities launch investigation into allegations far-right gun enthusiasts paid to travel to Bosnian capital and shoot civilians ‘for fun’ during the four-year siege
-
A free speech debate is raging over sign language at the White HouseTalking Points The administration has been accused of excluding deaf Americans from press briefings
-
Glinda vs. Elphaba, Jennifer Lawrence vs. postpartum depression and wilderness vs. progress in November moviesthe week recommends This month’s new releases include ‘Wicked: For Good,’ ‘Die My Love’ and ‘Train Dreams’
-
Why these Iraqi elections are so importantThe Explainer The US and Israel are increasingly pressuring Baghdad to tackle Iran-backed militants, while weakened Iran sees Iraq as a vital remaining ally
-
Israel arrests ex-IDF legal chief over abuse video leakSpeed Read Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi had resigned from her post last week
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Gaza’s reconstruction: the steps to rebuildingIn The Spotlight Even the initial rubble clearing in Gaza is likely to be fraught with difficulty and very slow
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
‘Extraordinary asymmetry’: the history of Israeli prisoner swapsIn The Spotlight Exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian detainees is the latest in a series of trades in which Israeli lives appear to count for more
-
Israel and Hamas meet on hostages, Trump’s planSpeed Read Hamas accepted the general terms of Trump’s 20-point plan, including the release of all remaining hostages
-
Netanyahu agrees to Trump’s new Gaza peace planSpeed Read At President Trump's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they agreed upon a plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza
