The Trudeau Government’s Fake Fight Against Antisemitism- Part 19

Double standards on refugees

Between 2005 and April 1, 2018, approximately 37,000 persons originating from Eritrea and Sudan fled their respective countries and after a very difficult trip managed to enter Israel illegally and sought refugee status. Under Israel’s law governing this type of situation, the new arrivals were not considered to be refugees. Instead, they were issued temporary resident status and had to renew their visas every 2 or 3 months which they were allowed to do for around 13 years depending on the date of original entry. Finally, the Israeli government decided to expel only the single men to a pair of third countries and towards this end to provide them each with a plane ticket worth U.S. $4000.

Vivian Bercovici, former Canada Ambassador to Israel (2014-2016) summed up Canada’s position as follows:

“Speaking on behalf of the minister of foreign affairs, Chrystia Freeland, her spokesperson, Adam Austen, commented rather boldly: “Canada does not support policies of mass deportations of asylum seekers. The rights of asylum seekers and refugees are laid out in the Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees, of which Israel is a signatory.”

The clear insinuation articulated by Mr. Austen, of course, is that in conducting these deportations, Israel is, in fact, contravening the Geneva Convention.

In response to a request to explain this position, the department provided irrelevant written blather about the importance of Israel ensuring “equal and non-discriminatory institutional access to health services to asylum seekers and minorities.” 

Speaking on background, a senior Israeli government official confirmed its position that, legally, its treatment of asylum seekers does not run afoul of the Geneva Convention. In fact, the Israeli Supreme Court raised no such concerns when it considered the issues related to contemplated “deportations.” National Post, March 14, 2018.

This matter was highly divisive in the Israeli society and it led to mass demonstrations in support of keeping the refugees in Israel and led the government to find a political solution to the problem.

Yet, Canada looked the other way and stayed quiet when in December 2015, Jordan, which in 2021 Minister Garneau of Global Affairs referred to as a “key partner” expelled merely 800 Eritreans refugees; men, women and children on the grounds that they sought refuge in Jordan solely for the purpose of receiving “medical treatment”. Many of the refugees were nabbed on the street and all of them were deported without due process, a proper hearing before a Court, let alone the right to appeal against the decision of the Court.