Israel to deport thousands

2008-02-24 21:46

Jerusalem - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday directed Israeli authorities to deport thousands of African asylum seekers who have sneaked into Israel though the Egyptian border and whose lives would not be endangered if sent home, his office said.

The statement said the Africans should be expelled from Israel by the end of the week.

Asylum seekers have been infiltrating in larger numbers over the past year.

More than 7 000 - mostly from Africa - have entered the country illegally through its border with Egypt, including more than 2 000 this year alone, said Michael Bavly, a representative in Israel of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The vast majority of them are from Sudan - including southern Sudan, where a 22-year conflict left 2.5 million people dead, as well as Darfur, where a rebellion has cost more than 200 000 civilian lives and made 2.5 million homeless.

This year, Israel granted temporary residency status to 600 refugees from Darfur. It also recognised about 2 000 infiltrators from Eritrea whose lives would be endangered if sent home.

Ways to prevent infiltration

Israel plans to deport the other 4 500, officials said, many of whom came from countries like Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria.

Olmert convened a meeting Sunday with Cabinet ministers to discuss the infiltration and ways of preventing it.

He ordered security officials to tighten supervision of the Egyptian border and directed officials to expedite the processing of those seeking asylum, to decide which were just seeking work and could be deported.

He instructed his top aide to present a daily progress report on the matter.

Bavly said Israel, as the only land bridge between Africa and Europe, was an attractive destination for those seeking escape. He said most were not refugees, but people searching for jobs and a better life.

- AP