State tells court Ukrainians without lsraeli ‘affiliation’ can seek refuge in Europe

The state has requested that the High Court of Justice throw out a petition against Israel’s policy regarding Ukrainian refugees, ahead of a ruling on the matter scheduled for Sunday.

The petition, submitted by a private law firm but with the backing of the Ukrainian embassy, argues that the government’s cap on refugee entries violates international agreements between the nations as well as international conventions to which Israel is a party, and was not imposed with proper authority.

The state argued in response on Friday that those fleeing the war can seek refuge in neighboring European countries, adding that refugees who have “no affiliation with Israel” are not under its jurisdiction.

As war pummels Ukraine and millions flee the country, Israel has adopted a hardline stance against taking in large numbers of refugees who are not eligible for citizenship under the Law of Return, a policy spearheaded by Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked.

Under that policy, Israel initially set an entry quota of 25,000 refugees who are not otherwise eligible for Israeli citizenship — including 20,000 who had already been in the country when the war started — drawing criticism from both within and outside the government.

Amid a public outcry, Shaked later announced that any relatives of Israelis will also be granted entry without a cap. However, it remained unclear what proximity of relatives exactly would be acceptable.

Israeli attorney Tomer Warsha filed the suit with the High Court.

Warsha’s law firm called on the court to immediately issue an injunction blocking the new policies and forcing the government to allow Ukrainians in.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk harshly condemned Israel last week for not doing more to assist Ukraine by providing defensive aid, absorbing more refugees and taking a clear stance against Russia, accusing Israel of being “afraid” of Moscow.

Since the start of fighting when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, over 12,600 Ukrainians have arrived in Israel, Shaked said Friday.

Of those, some 3,650 are eligible to immigrate under Israel’s Law of Return or have already, according to Shaked.

Another 1,050 of them have left Israel either by choice or have been refused entry, she added. According to the Ynet news site, 290 were denied entry.

That means there some 7,900 Ukrainian refugees have arrived who are not eligible for Israeli citizenship.