Jewish leaders press Israel not to deport African migrants

8 January 2018, 7:57 pm

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A group of North American Jewish leaders is urging the Israeli government not to go through with its plan to deport tens of thousands of African migrants, most of them from Sudan and Eritrea.

In an open letter to Netanyahu, the leaders rejected Netanyahu’s assertion that most of those in the country are economic migrants.

“We know that many of [the migrants] are indeed asylum seekers and refugees deserving of protection,” they say, adding, “We are deeply concerned for their welfare.”

The signatories stressed their “deep concern as Jews and as human beings for the welfare of those who have sought asylum in Israel as well as [their] readiness to help in addressing the issue.”