Jerusalem (AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday suspended a resettlement deal for African migrants faced with deportation, just hours after his office announced the agreement with the UN refugee agency.
“I’ve decided to suspend implementation of this accord and to rethink the terms of the accord,” Netanyahu wrote on his Facebook page, saying his move was in response to criticism of the deal.
Israel had announced a deal with the UNHCR to cancel a controversial plan to deport African migrants and replace it with one that would see thousands sent to Western countries.
The new accord would allow thousands more of the mainly Sudanese and Eritrean migrants to remain in Israel at least temporarily.
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