Steven Kramer, Jewish Times of SJ
More than 2,000 African refugees, about half from Sudan, are provoking strong reactions in Israel. Some of these desperate people are Christians from Darfur [in Sudan], while many are Muslim. None are Jewish. Opinions are divided between those who want to open Israel to refugees, remembering how borders were closed to Jews fleeing the Nazis, and those who want to deport the refugees who are already here and prevent others from crossing our borders, fearful of adding more non-Jews to our population.
“Israel Detains Darfur Refugees in Desert ‘Prison'” was the headline of the article in the Sunday Telegraph [Internet paper] by Carolynne Wheeler on 15 July. Wheeler got some of her facts wrong and made no attempt to put Israel’s position in context, nor did she discuss the role of Arab countries, especially Egypt, in contributing to the plight of the refugees. This story exhibits the kind of anti-Israel slant that the media is taking towards Israel, ignoring the fact that the refugees came to Israel indirectly, from Egypt, where their lives have become unbearable. Unfortunately, it is one of the items at the top of the list of an Internet search about Sudanese refugees in Israel. CONTINUE
