Israel Today - UN Bias Shows in Israel's African Migrant Crisis

UN Bias Shows in Israel's African Migrant Crisis

Wednesday, January 08, 2014 |  Israel Today Staff  

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Israel Today reported yesterday on the ongoing demonstrations by thousands of illegal African migrants seeking refugee status in the Jewish state. Though they claim to be asylum seekers, most are in fact looking for jobs and better economic conditions.

In that story, we pointed out how the UN had made itself wholly unhelpful by criticizing Israel even as the latter tried desperately to figure out a solution.

On Wednesday, Israel's leading newspaper, Yediot Ahronot, published a brief expose demonstrating that Israel is by far one of the more humane Western developed nations when it comes to handling illegal migrants.

Britain

Hundreds of thousands of migrants from Italy, Spain, Portugal and Poland have made their way to the UK over the past four years, trying to escape collapsing economies in their home nations.

The UK lets many of these people in, and even allows them to find work. But it refuses to provide any welfare benefits, even though the migrants are paying taxes.

Australia

Australia goes further than many and does grant the label "asylum seeker" to the thousands of migrants who arrive by boat from Indonesia every year. But, that doesn't mean they are allowed in. Australia essentially gives these people two choices: turn around and go home, or be sent to a detention facility on Christmas Island.

Spain

Spain has been begging the European Union for years to help it combat illegal immigration from Africa. Ceuta and Melilla, two Spanish cities on the northern tip of Morocco, have been surrounded by a giant fortified and heavily guarded fence to deter those who would try to come by land.

But many still manage to sneak into Spain-proper via the sea. When they are caught, those migrants are immediately expelled with no right to appeal the decision.

Italy

Those caught sneaking into Italy, usually by sea, are taken to detention facilities where Yediot discovered they are physically sanitized using pesticides. Illegal migrants are kept in these facilities until a court can decide if they were truly fleeing oppression, and therefore deserving of asylum, or if they were just seeking jobs. The latter are asked to leave the country.

And that brings us back to Israel's situation.

Crises involving illegal migrants have been plaguing a great many Western nations in recent years. And yet, where is the public UN criticism of the way those nations are handling the matter?

As usual, only when Israel is involved, does the UN view a situation as needing its (typically ineffective) interference.

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