Netanyahu calls for humane treatment of deportees

Israel must carry out the deportation of African migrants “in an orderly and dignified manner,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the beginning of Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting, hours before a plane carrying South Sudanese migrants back to their country of origin was scheduled to depart.

Netanyahu, who has long supported the expulsion of illegal African migrants, added that the government will continue to block the entry of foreigners and take steps to ensure their removal from Israel.

The prime minister, however, made it clear that he disapproved of incendiary statements on the topic, calling on ministers, MKs and the public to show more consideration: “Even when we want to remove the foreigners from among us, we will do it in a humane and Jewish manner.”

Netanyahu also discussed the preventative measures that the government will take to hinder further illegal immigration into Israel: “We are dealing with the problem of infiltrators by blocking their entry via the construction of a fence, hastening their repatriation or – in certain cases – sending them to third countries, and revoking the incentive for migration.”

The prime minister also described other measures to prevent the flow of migrants from Africa, including a new policy in which “any infiltrator that crosses the border will be placed in detention immediately, and this is in keeping with the new law that we passed, which allows infiltrators to be detained for years. We are also building holding facilities to house tens of thousands of infiltrators until they can be sent out of the country. Last week the Knesset approved a new law that increased fines on those who employ infiltrators. Infiltrators come here to work. If there is no work for them here, they will have no reason to come.”

On Sunday night, 120 South Sudanese citizens will be flown to Juba, South Sudan, in the first flight of operation “Returning Home.” Another flight is scheduled for next week.

On June 7, a Jerusalem court approved the deportation of South Sudanese nationals who have entered the country illegally, paving the way for operation “Returning Home.” The Population, Immigration and Borders Authority announced shortly thereafter that South Sudanese would have one week to turn themselves in and leave the country, or be deported by force.

On Friday, though, the authority announced that it would extend by a few days the time frame in which South Sudanese migrants subject to deportation can voluntarily leave the country. The decision came a day after South Sudanese officials arrived in Israel and requested the extension in a meeting with Interior Minister Eli Yishai.

Migrants from South Sudan who agree to leave Israel on their own accord — as did the 120 who were being flown out on Sunday — have been promised financial assistance of 1,000 euro (approximately US $1,250) from the government and a plane ticket home. Army Radio reported that the extension was given due to the high number of migrants who have signed voluntary departure forms in recent days indicating their willingness to be repatriated to their home country.

There are roughly 1,500 South Sudanese in Israel, a small percentage of the estimated 60,000-70,000 African migrants, mostly from Eritrea and Sudan proper, who are known to have entered the country illegally.

Over the past month, tensions have been running particularly high between Israelis and illegal African migrants, resulting in large demonstrations and occasionally degenerating into violence, most notably in the Hatikvah neighborhood of south Tel Aviv.

More than 600 migrants have crossed into Israel illegally so far in June, Channel 2 reported on Sunday.