African Migrants seeking refuge in Israel are facing possible removal from the Middle East country after a deal with the United Nations for their resettlement was canceled.
Israel had earlier agreed a deal to end its plans to deport African migrants, months after making such a threat and progressing with arrangements for their exit.
The earlier deal with the United Nations refugee agency was reached for the resettlement of these migrants seeking asylum.
But Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu canceled the deal saying it took the decision after consulting residents of south Tel Aviv, where many of the migrants live.
He said “all options… to remove the infiltrators” are now in consideration leaving the fate of more than 30,000 migrants in disarray.
The UN’s refugee agency, the UNHCR, has described the development a “disappointment”.
In February this year a notice was issued to African migrants in the country urging them to leave or face jail term in a major crackdown on illegal migrants.
The Israeli government issued the notice which was to affect thousands of African migrants who were to be compensated to enable them travel back to their countries.
In January this year Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the intended deportation plan would affect about 38,000 migrants who entered the country illegally.
Each migrant was to be given up to $3,500 to leave to their home countries. All migrants who refused were be jailed from April.
Many of the immigrants from Eastern Africa mostly Eritrea and Sudan have said they fled their countries into the Middle East country seeking refuge.
Source: Africafeeds.com
