Comments on: Self-deportation: Sudan style

By: Jubal Biggs

Jubal Biggs — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 09:13:30 +0000

Andrei; Israel's difficulties are completely beside the point. Her difficulties were greater back in the 70s and 80s when she allowed in refugees from the Cambodian boat people out of a sense of humanity and unwillingness to see other (non Jewish) people die for lack of anywhere to go. Israel actually has shown humanity toward non Jewish refugees in the past when Israel's own future was less assured than today. This just makes today's situation look that much worse. What is the difference between boat people and Sudanese? Mostly, the Sudanese are black. If you know Israeli culture very well, you know that there isn't even a modicum of open mindedness about this. To hear a Sabra tell it; Israelis are the most kind hearted people anywhere; except G-d help you if you are "shachor".

By: Julie Gold

Julie Gold — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 18:23:37 +0000

they are not asylum seekers, they are economic migrants (despite the fact that -of course- they will hide that), otherwise they would get asylum in Egypt where they stepped foot first. They are not all bad, but go to the area where the woman has been raped, and ask the residents. They are tired of excrements in the streets, peeings in full day light, trash dumped anywhere, women harassed (esp prostitutes, who won't -of course- complain to the police). The crime rate is higher despite the figures, because people of this arear don't complain to the police anymore, and those areas are devastated and inhabitants afraid, which was not the case before the massive arrival of those people whom many behave in non-respectful ways. So before being the self-involved saint of the PhD nonsense, go to this place, talk to the people and see that these economic migrants have problematic behaviours and should police themselves, if they don't want all those disguting events and incivilities to affect all. The problems are daily and this rape is just the tip of the iceberg. It's not racism -those Israelis love Ethiopians, because they behave well and make effort to integrate themselves-, it's a problem of immaturity. If those Sudanese, Eritreans want to be seen better, than they should organize themselves to police among their community. The awful rape of a 83 is not-tolerable, and if humanrights-bullshit-nonsensers like you weren't blind, they would have come to demonstrate in support of this poor lady and the others (esp prostitutes so you won't hear about them, who suffered such femicidal violence), hence not leaving the despair of those living in this areas (where you wouldn't live yourself, don't be hypocritical) to the right and far-right. People are not children, and so those people aren't: They are responsible and should face what goes wrong in their own communities by doing something about it, or at least speaking out about it. I hope next time a poor lady like her gets your support, as well as those poor inhabitants who suffer on a daily basis the degradation of their security because a non-controlled, massive, hence non-integrable in a satisfactory way uneducated, non-respectful of women, drunk and often violent flow of men, because most of them, of course, are single men arriving to make money. Go in the field, talk, get informed ==with intellectual honesty, nonbiaised by the humanrightsbullshit Damocles sword==.

By: Mollie Gerver

Mollie Gerver — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 12:52:46 +0000

Alec: I think that Israel's generous immigration policy towards Jews is more comparable to other countries' generous immigration policy towards highly skilled migrants or spouses, or individuals who are descended from nationals of that countries, such as Germany. Those countries (such as all EU countries) accept around 1/4 of all asylum applicants, while Israel accepts almost no applicants. It's possible to discriminate between applicants for immigration and not discriminate in for applicants for asylum, though there may be a correlation between discriminatory immigration policy and discriminatory refugee policy – I should check that. Thanks for your comment.

Andrei – Israel has accomplished unprecedented success in absorbing large numbers of immigrants throughout it's history and has also survived as a state despite what you call 'danger to its very existence.' This would indicate that deporting refugees would not assist in protecting Israel's existence. Can you be more specific in your argument?

By: Andrei Schwartz

Andrei Schwartz — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 10:57:44 +0000

Gary Watts Vargas – which countries? the banana countries of LatAm? How are they more humanitarian than Israel? and Alec Simantov – why do you not acknowledge the issues Israel faces as the only Jewish country? Can you compare Israel to Sweden, Switzerland and Canada with no shame, knowing the constant pressure and danger to its very existence, something others do not face?! That there are issues in dealing with the refugees – thats clear, but dont make it into a black or white issue (pun unintended). And yeah, PhD topics which potentially bash Israel should be welcome in Britain..no news

By: Alec Simantov

Alec Simantov — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 07:10:22 +0000

Israel makes a choice when it decides to automatically treat all refugees as criminal sub-humans. At least in other developed countries, refugees have a chance of winning asylum based on their dire circumstances. The fact that many of these people would surely be returning to their deaths in Sudan and other war-torn areas of Africa seems to fall on deaf ears because they are not Jewish. If they were Jews, the government would be running to hand them all a passport and stick their faces on Hasbara advertisements. And that's the difference between Israel and the rest of the democratic West – an individual refugee's case would be decided on factors not relating to his religion or ethnicity whereas in Israel if you are so unlucky to have been born not Jewish you are effectively screwed.

By: Gary Watts Vargas

Gary Watts Vargas — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 03:33:59 +0000

All countries have their own problems, but most are more humanitrian.

By: Rebeca Avellaneda

Rebeca Avellaneda — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 01:58:50 +0000

Molly, Israel has enough problems of her own (within her borders and with her unfriendly neighbors) and doesn't have nor is able to fix the wrongs of the world. Nice topic for your PHD dissertation, but don't try to make Israel the villain.

By: Rebeca Avellaneda

Rebeca Avellaneda — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 01:58:37 +0000