Israel aids Sudanese Refugees

Israel, a country beset with plenty of its own problems, has been troubled by incoming Sudanese refugees. The Israeli government announced Sunday that 498 refugees from the Darfur region who crossed into the country illegally through Egypt, will be allowed to stay. While this gesture demonstrates Israel’s contribution toward the crisis in Darfur, the country remains determined to deport all other African refugees. Like the Sudanese refugees, many come to Israel from dangerous parts of Africa via the Egyptian Sinai. Not only does the Israeli government want all other African refugees out, it wants them out quickly.  Prime Minister Enud Olmert met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak early this summer to establish a policy of ‘hot return’ under which illegal refugees are deported quickly across the Sinai border.

The Jerusalem Post quoted Olmert in a talk with ministers as saying, “I hope that people who cross into Israel illegally are not given permission by the courts to stay. Most of those arriving are migrant workers and we all know what the social implications would be if we allowed such people and their children to remain.”

However, the United Nations wants to ensure that deported refugees will not be endangered by being sent home. Representatives from Israel’s Interior and Defense Ministries will consult with representatives from the UN High Commission on Refugees before enacting deportations. We’ll see if policy and action work together to meet the desired ends

The Jerusaleum Post Story:

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411468301&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

     

The Christian Science Monitor:  Darfur Conflict Spills Into Chad

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0925/p06s02-woaf.html

  

The Washington Post: Nomads Describe Persecution in Chad

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/23/AR2007092301178.html

 

The Refugee Crisis

More than 200,000 people have been killed in a holocaust that has lasted four years in Darfur, a region in Western Sudan. Militant Arab nomads known as the janjaweed are responsible for the recurring genocide, which has displaced 2.5 million people. What’s worse is that the Sudanese government is accused of initially supporting the janjaweed. Despite peacekeeping efforts by United Nations and African Union forces, the genocide continues. The United Nations Human Rights Council reported today that there has been little improvement in Sudan during recent months.

            Israel is beset with killings and suicide bombings as Arabs and Israelis continue a century-old struggle over religious sovereignty and territories including Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank.  Religious extremist groups, such as the Palestinian Hamas, continue to take desperate actions killing dozens on a far-too-regular basis.

            The death toll in Iraq continues to climb, affecting not only the Middle East but the United States and many European countries as soldiers continue to die.

             

            In addition to the sheer horror felt by the fact that genocide and war are occurring at this very moment, one must also consider the political and economic implications on other countries. Victims fleeing the various war-torn regions have created a refugee crisis that impacts many countries, regardless of whether their governments previously sought to provide aid to the countries in crisis or not.

The New York Times: UN Rights Experts: No Progress in Darfur

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-UN-Darfur-Rights.html

Times Topics: Iraq

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/iraq/index.html?8qa

Information on the Darfur Genocide:

www.darfurgenocide.org/ 

Save Darfur:

www.savedarfur.org/  BBC Country Profile: Israel and Palestine Territorieshttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/country_profiles/803257.stm