Israel to accept Darfur refugees

[Behind the Aegis]

Israel is to grant citizenship to several hundred Darfur refugees who are already in the country.
Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit said he would work with the United Nations to set a quota of refugees to become naturalised Israelis.

Israel has been trying to curb the number of Africans entering the country illegally via Egypt in recent months.

But this has caused unease among some Israelis who feel the state has a duty to take in people fleeing persecution.

Mr Sheetrit estimates there are around 300 refugees from Sudan's Darfur region inside Israel. Other government officials say the number is closer to 500.

more...

[2rth2pwr]

1. Will Palestine? nt

[Behind the Aegis]

3. Will Palestine what?

[2rth2pwr]

5. accept Darfur refugees. nt

[Behind the Aegis]

6. I doubt it.

Gaza and the West Bank aren't really in a position at this juncture to accept refugees from Darfur.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Good,

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. double good!

[azurnoir]

7. Ok so now that Israel has done it's part

when is the rest of the world going to step up to the plate? There seems to be an awful lot of hand wringing and "oh the humanity" going on but not a whole lot else being done. The US should have some refugee room to spare seeing as how Syria has been cleaning up our mess from Iraq, over 1 million Iraqi refugees have entered Syria.

[barb162]

8. Will Egypt stop punishing and killing its Darfur refugees ?

snip
Mohandessin protests
An August 2004, Sudanese refugees, backed by the Egyptian non-governmental organisation SOUTH, mounted a protest against the issuing of yellow cards outside the UNHCR office. Police and security officers arrested and dispersed refugees with tear gas.

In October to December 2005, some 2,000 people participated daily in a protest camp in a park at a busy intersection in front of Mustafa Mahmoud Mosque. The camp had been formed on September 29, 2005 by several dozen people who organized with Refugee Voices, a Sudanese refugee group. The Cairo office of UNHCR closed indefinitely in mid-November, after saying it was forced by the sit-in to suspend operations in October.<1> In the early hours of Friday, December 30, 2005 police raided the camp and clashes ensued in the presence of TV cameras and the press. They dragged the refugees across the street, pulled women from their hair and pushed the elderly carrying newborn babies. Refugees were put in public transit busses to be transferred to central security force camps in different locations in Egypt in addition to taking some of them to State security intelligence offices. Many of those taken to the camps suffered fractures and injuries and lack any medical help.

At least 28, and as many as 100, Sudanese migrants seeking refugee status were killed. At least one committed suicide in the wake of the raid.(FMRS 2006:37-38) The camp was forcibly dismantled and 2,174 protesters were detained. (AFP) The opposition Muslim Brotherhood condemned the raid.(Nkrumah 2006)

snip
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudanese_refugees_in_Egypt#Mohandessin_protests

[LeftishBrit]

9. Very good news!

I hope other countries will also rise to the occasion.