Israel mulls plans to deport African asylum-seekers

Israeli authorities are exploring the possibility of deporting African migrants and asylum-seekers to Sudan and Eritrea, Israeli daily Haaretz said today.

In a letter to member of Knesset Mossi Raz, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said his ministry has held talks regarding the available options to deport African asylum-seekers.

“We’re generating a picture of the general situation in Sudan and Eritrea and the implications thereof,” Deri wrote.

Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri [File photo]

In another letter to Raz, Yariv Levin, the minister in charge of liaising with the Knesset, said the deportation of asylum-seekers “is being considered, subject to a situation assessment of the threat posed to them.”

An Interior Ministry official involved in the issue confirmed the discussions regarding the deportation of African asylum-seekers from the country.

“The overall solution is that they won’t remain here,” he said.

We’re constantly seeking solutions to get them out of here, and the Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office are working on various possibilities.

Israel is currently home to some 40,000 asylum-seekers, including 27,500 from Eritrea and 7,800 from Sudan, according to UNHCR figures.

Most of them arrived in Israel – via Egypt – from 2006 to 2013 before a security fence was erected along the border.

Since 2012, Israel has deported roughly 20,000 African migrants and asylum-seekers who had entered the country illegally.

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