Netanyahu Backtracks on African Migrant Plan, Then Shifts Again
- PM says will cancel UN deal to send some Africans to the West
- Decision follows criticism that some would stay in Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu
Photographer: Dario Pignatelli/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backtracked on a just-announced agreement with the United Nations to let about 20,000 African migrants remain in Israel, following an outcry from coalition partners and his political base.
On Monday afternoon, Netanyahu called a news conference to disclose Israel had canceled an earlier plan to deport all 38,000 migrants to Africa, following mass demonstrations against the policy at home and criticism from abroad. Instead, he said, he reached a deal with the UN refugee agency to send at least 16,250 migrants to the West, and give the rest temporary residency in Israel.