Israel proposes work camps for illegal migrants

[Steve_j]

The government is considering establishing work camps in the south of the country, where illegal migrant workers will receive shelter, food and medical care, Army Radio reported Wednesday. In exchange, illegal migrants would perform manual labor outside the camps, but would not earn a salary. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1126057.html

This looks well concerning. The report doesnt say if the labour is mandatory but an Amnesty Int spokesperson said

The crazy idea of housing refugees in work camps in the south by force is contrary to international law and to every international treaty to which Israel is a party. which leads me to believe it might be.

Mandatory detention is bad enough but forced labour ontop? I might be jumping the gun but this looks pretty fucked up.

Can any comrades fill me in on Israels current policies in regards to asylum? Is mandatory detention already in place?

[Comrade Gwydion]

This is fucked up, and every nation in the western world is on the same path.
Mandatory detention for children, women and men who have done nothing criminal except for not having a correct passport is considered normal, even in europe.

FUcking world we live in, right?

[Steve_j]

Mandatory detention for children, women and men who have done nothing criminal except for not having a correct passport is considered normal

Actually its not even criminal (under international law) but they are treated that way anyway :( but further persecuting them by labour exploitation! Shit thats something new to me. And quite ironic comming from a country founded on refugees.

[Il Medico]

What? Israel is setting up Concentration camps? The irony.

[Yehuda Stern]

Israel likes to use the Darfur pogroms in its propaganda war against Muslims, but it's hardly friendly to refugees who arrive at Israel. They aren't killed, but they are persecuted. With migrant workers, the Israeli government plays a similar game to that of the US ruling class - persecuting them so that they are unable to fight for better working conditions.

Of course, all this is only surprising to those who think the modern Israeli state represents the tradition of the oppressed Jewish masses rather than that of the racist pogromists. Which is nonsense.

[Steve_j]

Hey Yehuda, thanks for your input. Few questions though, ive read a bit on the situation faced by the economic migrants (ie nepalese, srilankan ect), but what is the situation with refugees?

What is the current policy? Is it mandatory detention? (I assume it is, it took me 9 hrs just to get a stamp in my passport) And provided they are granted asylum how are they recieved socially? Jobs, finacial support, are they acepted by either the arab or jewish comunities or generally marginalized?

Something i have never really thought about in regards to Israel.

[Yehuda Stern]

Which refugees do you mean? From Darfur?

[Die Rote Fahne]

If they do it to illegal migrants, how soon do they do it to legal Palestinian citizens and people in the occupied territories.

[Steve_j]

Not specifically, any that qualify for asylum.

[The Red Next Door]

What next? an Isreali version of Auschwitz?