Channels

'These people felt threatened in their countries'
Photo: Reuters

'I'd rather die than be jailed in Israel'

Secret flight carrying 150 Sudanese infiltrators takes off from Ben-Gurion Airport in coordination with Christian organization. All migrants asked to leave, received money. 'We ensured that their life is not in danger,' source involved in operation tells Ynet

One of the 150 Sudanese nationals who were flown to an African country Monday night, on their way home, is 28 years old and arrived in Israel about two and a half years ago.

 

"I'm afraid to return to Sudan, it's going to be a very dangerous place for me, but I can't imagine myself sitting in the prison the Israeli government has decided to set up for all the refugees," he told his acquaintances. The secret flight took off from Ben-Gurion Airport under a heavy veil of secrecy.

 

Upon his arrival in Israel, the young man was diagnosed with a chronic illness requiring regular medication. He was fearful of returning to Sudan, but although his friends tried to convince him to stay, he chose to leave Israel for fear of being jailed in the facility the government promised to set up.

 

"All morning we ran from pharmacy to pharmacy, trying to get the special medication. When we were unsuccessful, he said he would go to the flight organizers and ask to stay in Israel," said Orit Rubin of the Asaf aid organization for refugees. "I tried to call him in the afternoon, but got no answer. Only in the late afternoon hours someone picked up and said he had got on the plane."

 

"I can't imagine it," she added. "His life is in danger and I don't believe what happened. It's very east to tag all of them as work migrants, but the fact is that these are people who felt threatened in their countries and sought refuge."

 

UN: They all wanted to leave

This wasn't the first time Sudanese residents were returned to their homeland, but organizing so many infiltrators on one special flight is unprecedented. The operation was coordinated between Israeli officials and a Christian organization handling southern Sudanese migrants in Israel, most of whom are Christian.

 

According to sources involved in the matter, the situation in southern Sudan is improving. "It was in the air, but no one thought so many would fly out so quickly," said one of the sources.


 

Veil of secrecy at Ben-Gurion Airport (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

 

A security official told Ynet on Monday night that it was too soon to tell whether additional infiltrators would be leaving the country. "It's a very complicated issue," he noted.

 

About two years ago, some 10 people were accompanied out of Israel by one of the organization's representatives, to ensure that they were being absorbed properly. They had all expressed their desire to return, mainly because of their families left behind. They received some many from Israel to help them readjust to their homeland.

 

"No one took people forcibly from a park or jail in Israel and sent them to Sudan," a source involved in the move told Ynet. "Most of these people worked here and saved money and expressed their desire to leave, each for his own reasons. They were all asked what they wanted to do, and no one asked to stay. The area they are returning to is not dangerous, and we ensured that their life was not in danger."

Israel stressed that the entire operation was coordinated with the United Nations. The UN representative in Israel said that "a small number of people asked to return, and they all did it out of their own free will."

 

But the aid organizations objected. According to Orit Rubin, "People do have a right to choose where they want to go, but referring to them as work migrants is unfair. They sought refuge because they came from extremely unprotected places.

 

"They arrived to seek refuge and are stuck here without any hope, especially with all the panic concerning their future. These are refugees who came from tough places and are leaving in fear."

 

According to Rubin, one of them told her, "I would rather die in my own country than be a prisoner in Israel." She said she knew people who lost their jobs due to the change of policy in the Interior Ministry.

 

"Two parents raising five children and working in difficult jobs were fired constantly and lived on the breadline. They decided to return to Sudan out of despair. There are other families which left for the same reason, with many children they couldn't provide for."

 

Attila Somfalvi and Yoav Zitun contributed to this report

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 12.14.10, 07:43
 new comment
Warning:
This will delete your current comment