An illegal migrant’s bill was approved in the Knesset Plenum on the 9th of January. This law was originally meant to deal with terrorists but will now also be applied to asylum seekers. It allows authorities to arrest and hold illegal migrants in a holding facility for a period of up to three years without permit. Moreover, if the asylum seekers are coming from an ”enemy” country, such as Sudan, they might face indefinite detention.
In addition, anyone who assists illegal migrants while they are in Israel could be thrown into prison for a period of up to 15 years, which could also apply to human rights defenders who – in accordance to the Geneva Convention and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – help the refugees who succeed in reaching Israel.
It is why I have addressed the following questions to the European External Action Service (EEAS) :
Does the EEAS agree with the possibility of holding illegal migrants in custody for a period of three years without a trial?
Does the EEAS agree that this illegal migrant’s bill violates the Geneva Convention on refugees and does not conform to international treaties?
Has the EEAS expressed its concern to the Israeli authorities?
What will the EEAS do in reaction to this recently adopted illegal migrants bill in Israel?
The EEAS will answer to my questions in the next meeting of the Subcommittee on Human Rights of the European Parliament, on the 25th of January.
I’ll keep you posted!
Rui Tavaras
Member of European Parliament
Larv, självklart tillåter Geneve-konventionen att fienden som tar sig in i det land man är i krig med kan hållas i förvar.