www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/24/africa/ME-GEN-Israel-Refugees.php

Olmert orders authorities to remove thousands of African asylum seekers by weekend

The Associated Press
Sunday, February 24, 2008

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 U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

Their route has been treacherous. On Sunday, Egyptian forces shot and killed an African woman who was trying to cross the border into Israel, a medical official said.

Five other Africans — two women and three men from Sudan, Eritrea and Ivory Coast — have been shot dead by Egyptian troops in separate incidents near the Egypt-Israel border since late January. They were believed to have paid hundreds of dollars to human traffickers to help them cross into Israel.

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 and Eritrea, where the fled forced conscription into the army for life.

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

Hedva Radovanitz, associate director of the New Israel Fund, a foundation supporting the African refugees in Israel, said she doubted the government would begin deporting anyone in such a short period.

"Each case needs to be evaluated individually," she said. "Israel cannot deport anyone before going through a process."