U.N. Urges Israel to Find Solutions For African Migrants

 Israel should stop plans to send tens of thousands of migrants back to Africa forcibly, the United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday, suggesting some could be resettled in Europe or other countries, writes Reuters.

Israel said last Wednesday it would pay thousands of African migrants living illegally in the country to leave, threatening them with jail if they are caught after the end of March.

The vast majority come from Eritrea and Sudan and many say they fled war and persecution as well as economic hardship. Israel treats them mostly as economic migrants.

The plan offers African migrants a $3,500 payment from the Israeli government and a free air ticket to return home or go to "third countries", which rights groups identified as Rwanda and Uganda. 

"We are again appealing to Israel to halt its policy of relocating Eritreans and Sudanese to sub-Saharan Africa," William Spindler of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told a Geneva briefing.

"Official statements that the plans may eventually target families and those with pending asylum claims, or that asylum seekers might be taken to the airport in handcuffs, are particularly alarming," he said.

Some 27,000 Eritreans and 7,700 Sudanese live in Israel, but authorities there have only granted refugee status to 11 since 2009, Spindler said.

In Europe, Eritreans have a very high rate of recognition as refugees fleeing war or persecution, he said. "So we would expect that among them, many would qualify for refugee status.

"What we would like to see in Israel - and we are willing to help in that respect - is to find legal alternatives for these people, through resettlement in other countries."

Rwanda and Uganda both said last Friday they had not...