Labor submitted a bill defining refugees’ rights on Tuesday, representing the
party’s new policy on migrants.
Opposition leader Shelly Yechimovich
(Labor), Labor MKs Avishai Braverman and Daniel Ben-Simon, as well as MKs Shlomo
Molla and Nino Abseadze of Kadima composed the bill.
The legislation,
which the 94-MK coalition is unlikely to approve, calls for a process by which a
committee will determine the status of migrants entering the
country.
Each year, 2,000 refugees will be absorbed and recognized
according to international standards, and others will be returned to their home
countries.
The bill explains that, according to the Central Bureau for
Statistics, there will be 9.6 million residents in Israel in 2030.
Should
the legislation pass, refugees will only be 0.375 percent of the population in
18 years.
In addition, Labor suggests in the bill’s explanatory section
that the government drastically reduce the number of foreign workers brought in
each year, and return those whose visas have expired, thus making it possible to
train refugees and migrants to work in agriculture, construction and other
fields.
“The Jewish people have experienced persecution and pogroms, and
it is a moral imperative that we lend a hand to refugees of genocide,”
Yechimovich stated. “At the same time, we must protect the Jewish nature of the
State of Israel and its sovereignty.”
According to the Labor leader, the
bill is meant to make up for the state’s mistakes, in that it does not have a
clear policy on refugees and foreign workers.
“We see many refugees
settling in areas that are already weak. This leads to personal insecurity and a
difficult economic situation, followed by incitement by elected
officials.
The situation is dangerous,” Yechimovich added.