Feb
Israel detains 200 refugees in Tel Aviv raid
PHOTO: Israelis protest the deportation of Liberian refugees, Shachaf Polakow, flickr.
Israel has detained about 200 asylum seekers after a raid in Tel Aviv. Many of them are from Darfur, an area of Sudan that has been in the grips of war and a situation many have labeled genocide. The raid followed a statement made by Israeli President Ehud Olmert about the deportation of refugees that had entered the country illegally.
This move from Israel is part of a larger ongoing debate on which refugees should be allowed to enter the country
Ran Cohen, chairman of the special Knesset committee on Foreign Affairs, said that “this is an unnecessary move, which serves no purpose but fear-mongering. Instead of harassing the refugees, we should treat them humanely and help them find a job.”
The debate has sparked discussion from many angles. Should Israel, a country that was founded after a mass genocide, reject asylum seekers and refugees who are similarly suffering from genocide? Check out this editorial on the subject.
Also, Israel has a Palestinian refugee issue to address. Palestinian refugees are so numerous there is a United Nations agency, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), that has helped them survive since Israel’s establishment in 1948.
