Translated material
Israel does not accept
Refugees from Darfur sent to Egypt
Israeli authorities on Sunday expelled to Egypt 50 African refugees who illegally entered the territory of the Jewish state from the Sinai Peninsula. Most of this group came from the strife-torn Sudanese province of Darfur. This was the first expulsion of illegal refugees to Egypt since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries in 1979. About a month ago, at a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak signed an agreement on the return of African refugees from Israel to Egypt.“Israel, as a rule-of-law state, will apply similar measures to everyone who illegally crosses the Israeli border,” the press service of the Israeli Foreign Ministry told Vremya Novostey. Meanwhile, about two and a half thousand refugees from African countries still remain in Israel. Previously, Olmert ordered that 500 Darfur residents remain in the country, and a special absorption program will even be prepared for them. “It is not yet clear what to do with another two thousand illegal immigrants from Africa,” the Prime Minister’s Office admitted to VN. Egypt refuses to take them back; African refugees live in a tent city on the territory of the Ktziot prison in the Negev desert.
Some Israelis believe that, given the plight of refugees, they should be given the opportunity to stay in Israel. Knesset member from the Arab party Hadash Dov Henin said that “the expulsion of refugees is contrary to international law.” However, many Israelis believe that illegal border crossings into Israel after refugees have already been granted asylum in Egypt are purely economic in nature.