Israeli Government declares: asylum-seekers currently detained under the Anti-Infiltration Law will not be released

The new Anti-Infiltration Law proposal was presented to the Knesset’s Interior Affairs Committee this morning. According to it, despite the High Court decision, abrogating the Anti-Infiltration Law and instructing the authorities to examine and release the 1,800 asylum seekers according to the Entry to Israel Law, about 1,200 of the detainees will not be released.

The Ministry of Justice was represented by Adv. Dina Zilber, and Adv. Avital Sterenberg. The Immigration Authority was represented by Adv. Daniel Solomon and the head of the Foreigners Dept. Yossi Edelstein.

They stated that following before the committee:The new Anti-Infiltration legislation needs to be passed by the Knesset by 15 December 2013, since on that day, the 90 days given to the State by the High Court of Justice to release all detainees elapses. The open Facility Sadot will contain 3,300 beds and about 1,200 present detainees will be sent there directly from Saharonim.

According to the government officials, the purpose of the law is to prevent naturalisation of refugees by keeping ‘infiltrators’ away from the cities and preventing them from working as well as encouraging them to leave of their own volition.

It is still unclear how it will be decided who will be sent to this facility but those that the authorities will want to transfer to the open facility will not receive staying permits and will not be allowed to work. Those will be invited to the facility that will provide them with food, shelter and medicine. Once they are jailed, the refugees will be encouraged to leave ‘voluntarily’. Those who will violate the conditions in the open facility for example, not show up to one of the three daily roll-calls in the camp will be imprisoned in a closed facility.

via Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter | Israeli Government declares: asylum-seekers currently detained under the Anti-Infiltration Law will not be released