(Washington Post) Aaron Sagui - In its Nov. 3 article "Israel closing its doors to illegal African migrants," the Washington Post presented accusations that Israel is violating human rights by refusing to distinguish between illegal immigrants and asylum seekers. The charge is simply untrue. Israel, the only developed country with a common border with Africa, has attracted many thousands of illegal migrants. The vast majority of these are men seeking work, not asylum. Since Israel cannot easily repatriate them - Sudan, for example, refuses to recognize our existence - they are accommodated at centers that provide full health services and free education, as well as humanitarian protection for those in need. Israel not only meets UN requisites on illegal migrants but exceeds them. We welcome those Africans who genuinely seek asylum, just as we formerly sheltered refugees from Bosnia and Vietnam. Over the past six months, the Post has published two other pieces on this subject that were similarly misleading. Such focus is odd if not disturbing. The writer is the spokesman for the Israeli embassy in Washington.
2012-11-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive