Shaked and Shai spar over Israel’s Ukrainian refugee absorption policy

Diaspora Affairs Minister Nachman Shai lambasts Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked for the Ukrainian refugee absorption policy that she introduced earlier this week.

Shaked says Israel will take in 25,000 non-Jewish Ukrainians, but Shai says she is “playing” with the numbers as 20,000 of the approvals are for Ukrainians who were already in Israel residing illegally before the Russian invasion began.

Shai says 2,000 Ukrainian non-Jews have arrived since the invasion began, leaving just 3,000 more approvals left to hand out to those fleeing.

“What will happen when the 3,001st person person comes? We’ll send them back on a plane to Ukraine? No other country does this,” Shai says during a Channel 12 interview from Poland’s border with Ukraine.

Shaked has slammed Shai in return, saying he should focus on evacuating Jews to Israel and not on smearing Israel’s name abroad.

Shai tells Channel 12 that Israel is indeed the homeland of the Jewish people, but has the capacity of helping non-Jews as well.

He says a cabinet meeting should be held to discuss Israel’s refugee policy.