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United Nations Urges Israel To ‘Reconsider’ Cancelled Migrant Deal

  The United Nations on Tuesday urged Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “reconsider” a decision to scrap an agreement on resettling thousands of African migrants following … Continue reading United Nations Urges Israel To ‘Reconsider’ Cancelled Migrant Deal


United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres addresses the 37th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on February 26, 2018 in Geneva. The United Nations secretary-general on Monday demanded the immediate implementation of 30-day ceasefire in Syria as the Damascus regime continued its deadly bombardment of the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta. Addressing the rights council after Guterres, UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said that Syria — and other conflict zones — had “become some of the most prolific slaughterhouses of humans in recent times”. Jean-Guy PYTHON / AFP
FILE COPY United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, addresses the 37th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on February 26, 2018, in Geneva.                                            Photo Credit: Jean-Guy PYTHON / AFP

 

The United Nations on Tuesday urged Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “reconsider” a decision to scrap an agreement on resettling thousands of African migrants following tough domestic criticism.

“UNHCR notes the announcement of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that he has cancelled the Israel-UNHCR agreement of April 2nd on solutions for Eritreans and Sudanese living in Israel,” a spokesman for the UN agency, William Spindler, told AFP in an email.

“We continue to believe in the need for a win-win agreement that can benefit Israel, the international community and people needing asylum and we hope that Israel will reconsider its decision soon.”

Hours after announcing the agreement himself in a televised address on Monday afternoon, Netanyahu changed course and cancelled it after facing pressure from his right-wing base.

The agreement was designed to end the possibility of forced deportations of thousands of migrants from Israel to Rwanda.

Under the agreement with the UN, a minimum of 16,250 migrants would have instead been resettled in Western nations.

In return, Israel would grant temporary residency to one migrant for each one resettled elsewhere.

The presence of the primarily Sudanese and Eritrean migrants in Israel has become a key political issue.

Netanyahu is already under heavy political pressure due to a string of graft probes.

AFP