Olmert: We must curb infiltrations from Egypt

[Scurrilous]

Prime Minister's Office holds special meeting on escalating infiltrators problem; Defense, Foreign, Public Security Ministries called to tackle issue from all fronts

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3522476,00.html

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"Prime Minister Ehud Olmert instructed the defense establishment to prevent the infiltration of African refugees across the Egyptian border into Israel.

Olmert further called on the Defense, Foreign and Public Security Ministries to increase their activities on the matter. "We must take every measure necessary to prevent such infiltrations, even if it means increasing deployment across the border," he said.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter attended a special meeting on the matter held by the Prime Minister's Office Sunday.

The four were joined by Finance Minister Ronnie Bar-On, Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog and Housing and Construction Minister Ze'ev Boim, as well as by IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Major-General Moshe Kaplinsky and the head of the police operations branch.

The meeting reviewed the escalating infiltration problem and the need to find a humanitarian solution to the thousands of refugees who have made their way across the Israeli border.

"This is tsunami that can only get worse," said Olmert. "We must do everything we can to stop it."

[Vegasaurus]

1. All countries have to control their borders

Israel opens theirs to more refugees than most.

You posted this, why?

[hifalutin]

2. Israel is such

a tiny country, I wonder just how many refugees it can handle?

At least they are looking for a humanitarian solution to the problem.

[bemildred]

3. Build another wall. nt

[hifalutin]

4. I found this today

snip.......
Ismail Ahmed, who fled from Sudan to Egypt in 2002, after his adolescent daughter was wounded in a Janjaweed raid on their Darfur village. Educated and fluent in English, Ahmed's situation in Egypt became problematic when he started to speak out on the treatment of Sudanese refugees there.

Last summer Ahmed and his family crossed into Israel from Sinai with the aid of Beduin smugglers. His story made the local media after they were subsequently "adopted" by a Jewish family in Jerusalem, although Ahmed's identity remained anonymous then due to his uncertain status.
No longer. As one of the Darfur refugees given temporary residency, he and his family today live in Tel Aviv, where he works for an animation and design company. He also helped start a local group called Bnai Darfur, which works with the authorities and international organizations to identify and assist other such Sudanese among the African refugees.
Although he says only about half of the Darfurians have thus far been given resident status, Ahmed credits the government for what it has done for him and others.

"I fully understand the concerns the government has about the African refugees," he says. "Rather than criticizing Israel, the international community, especially the UN, should be doing more to help it deal with the situation." He warns though that more will come, especially from Darfur. "The situation in Egypt is very bad, and people will risk death rather than continue to live in the conditions they are put in there." As for his own future, Ahmed admits that if he could be permitted to make his life here, he would.

I was raised in Sudan to believe that Israelis are devils. Instead, I found a people are who open, tolerant and generous, in a way I never knew."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=2&cid=1205420760133&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[LeftishBrit]

5. More countries have to step up to help the African refugees.

Unfortunately few countries are very willing to take in the refugees who most need it.