After state freezes Africans’ deportations, Netanyahu vows to reopen prison

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to pass legislation allowing the Knesset to overrule the High Court of Justice and to reopen the Saharonim prison, both in response to his own government’s decision to freeze the deportation of African asylum seekers after deals with Rwanda, Uganda, and (reportedly) other African nations to receive the migrants fell through.

In a tweet, Netanyahu writes, “After several third-party countries refused to receive the infiltrators according to the conditions Israel demanded, I decided together with Interior Minister Aryeh Deri to prepare immediately to reopen the jail facilities for infiltrators, to advance the supercession clause [legislation allowing the Knesset to override High Court decision] in order to allow us to operate [the prisons], and to advance other means for solving this problem.”