Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suspended the agreement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to relocate AFrican immigrants to other United Nations (UN) member states.
Netanyahu was quoted as having said he was suspending the relocation deal following mounting pressure from right-wing politicians and his own governing coalition.
The suspension has come hours after UNHCR released a statement announcing they had signed an agreement wit Israel to relocate 16,250 immigrants to other European countries in return for granting another 16,250 immigrants temporary residence in Israel.
“UNHCR will facilitate the departure to third countries to be determined of some 16,000 Eritreans and Sudanese under various programmes, including sponsorship, resettlement, family reunion and labour migration schemes, while others will be receiving a suitable legal status in Israel,” the statement reads.
The suspension has infuriated the residents of Tel Aviv, who have been affected by the immigrants’ influx into their residence.
