Not surprisingly, Israel is willing to spend $160 million dollars to slow the flow of African migrants into “their” country. How do they plan to stop them? Does a border fence and detention centers sound familiar?
Israel’s move has sparked a debate within in their own country — a conflict between those who are concerned that non-Jewish Blacks will dilute their Jewish culture and be a burden on their society, and those who feel that the nation shouldn’t turn away people fleeing from prosecution and conflict in their own land.
While it’s understandable that Israel is concerned about how many refugees the country can reasonably support, the underlying cause appears to be more about not wanting “those people” in their “neighborhood,” than just the financial aspect alone. I personally find it disgusting that a country whose origin is that of a nation of refugees, fleeing Nazi persecution would not have the heart to do as much as it can to help those fleeing the conflict and persecution in their own homes.
So what if the refugees happen to be African and so what if they are technically “illegal!” Lives are on the line and they are human beings first. It is absolutely despicable that Israel, who is basically a US welfare state, would have the gall to invest millions of dollars in a fence and detention camps to keep “those people” contained.
JERUSALEM — The Israeli Cabinet voted unanimously Sunday to finance a $160 million program to stanch the flow of illegal African migrants by stepping up construction of a border fence and expanding a detention center to hold thousands of new arrivals.
The influx has sparked a national debate. Some Israelis fear the mounting non-Jewish arrivals will compromise the state’s Jewish character. Critics also claim the migrants are an economic and social burden. But others don’t want their country, which grew out of the Nazi genocide of Jews, to turn away people escaping persecution or conflict.
“If we don’t take action to stanch this illegal flow, then we will simply be inundated,” he said. He said he would explore the possibility of repatriating some of the economic migrants when he visits Africa next year. Israel already has repatriated hundreds of Africans.
Migrant advocates contend the Africans are bona fide refugees and should be granted asylum. They accuse the government of ignoring the retribution most of the migrants face should they return home.
Officials hope the border fence with Egypt will keep most migrants out. The detention center is meant to let Israel round up migrants without running afoul of international law, which requires governments to feed and shelter migrants – or let them work – while their status is being processed.
Israel also plans to build a detention center that could house thousands of migrants and expand a prison that is currently housing some of the Africans. Legislation is planned to lengthen detention times, from 60 days to a maximum of three years. And employers who hire illegal migrants will face stiffened fines as much as $18,000.
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