VZCZCXYZ0017
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTV #2052/01 1841154
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031154Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2086
INFO RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 2452
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 0373
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 0010
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 0146
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 7306
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0555

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002052 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PREL UNHCR IS EG SU
SUBJECT: ISRAEL AND EGYPT REPORTEDLY AGREE ON AFRICAN 
 
REFUGEE PLAN 
 
REF: A. TEL AVIV 2015 B. CAIRO 199 C. TEL AVIV 1704 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: GOI contacts report that Prime Minister 
Olmert and Egyptian President Mubarak agreed to a plan for 
dealing with African refugees during a June 25 summit in 
Sharm-al-Sheik, Egypt.  The proposal, presented by Olmert to 
a GOI inter-agency meeting on July 1, reportedly includes an 
Egyptian commitment to accept the return of all future 
Sudanese asylum seekers who transited Egypt en route to 
Israel -- with an Egyptian promise not to send them to an 
uncertain fate in Sudan -- and an expectation that Israel 
would grant refugee status to some of the Sudanese from 
Darfur that are already in Israel.  This agreement has not 
been put on paper, and questions have already arisen as to 
whether Mubarak indeed sees the issue as Olmert believes, and 
even if he does, whether Mubarak will be able to implement 
the agreement in the face of expected opposition within his 
own government.  Israel has not committed to the granting of 
refugee status to Darfurians either, and is unlikely to do so 
until implementation of the other parts of the agreement is 
assured.  UNHCR told Regional Refugee Coordinator that the 
GOI did not present a comprehensive plan to deal with African 
asylum seekers currently in Israel, and that the GOI, in 
coordination with UNHCR, will likely ask resettlement 
countries to accept many of them.  A GOI contact asked that 
the request (reftel C) she forwarded for the USG to approach 
the GOE with a similar proposal be put on hold until the 
prospects for this proposal become more clear. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) During a June 25 summit in Sharm-al-Sheikh, Egypt, 
Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Egyptian President Mubarak 
reportedly agreed to a plan for dealing with African asylum 
seekers that enter Israel via Egypt.  The proposal that 
Olmert presented to a GOI inter-agency meeting at the PM's 
office on July 1 includes a reported Egyptian commitment to 
accept the return of all future asylum seekers who transited 
Egypt en route to Israel. The IDF would apprehend the 
"infiltrators" and immediately return them to Egypt via the 
border crossings, with Egyptian assurances of their safety, 
i.e. that Sudanese would not be sent back to Sudan.  The 
Egyptians reportedly also agreed to work to prevent future 
"infiltrations" from Egypt to Israel.  The plan was supposed 
to take effect July 2. 
 
¶3. (SBU) An MFA contact said that Israel is "looking to 
grant" refugee status to the approximately 220 Sudanese from 
Darfur already in Israel, but did not indicate that any 
formal plan had been approved.  The contact emphasized that 
she was sharing this information in "complete 
confidentiality" and that "if any of this leaks out in 
 
SIPDIS 
definite terms" it would "open the floodgates" (for future 
asylum seekers.)  In sum, the GOI has not committed to 
granting refugee status to Darfurians, and is unlikely to do 
so until implementation of the other parts of the agreement 
is assured.  Press reports sounded a similar note, saying 
Olmert announced that he would agree to absorb a small number 
of refugees from Darfur, but only after the GOI is assured 
that future "infiltrations" will be prevented.  The contact 
said that Africans from countries with which Israel "has no 
problem," either "infiltrators" or those asking for status, 
will be treated "like always" and returned to their home 
country. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The proposed agreement has not been put on paper, 
and questions have already arisen as to whether Mubarak 
indeed sees the issue as Olmert believes, and even if he 
does, whether Mubarak will be able to implement the agreement 
in the face of expected opposition within his own government. 
  Our contact said that Israel wanted "not just assurances" 
but to be "100% sure it will happen" and that she was not 
optimistic this would be the case.  MFA DDG for Multilateral 
Affairs Roni Leshno Ya'ar told Pol/C July 2 that it remains 
unclear whether the Egyptian bureaucracy will actually 
implement the agreement, but that he thought it would become 
clear in a matter of days.  Ya'ar said that Egyptian Foreign 
Minster Abul Gheit is opposed to the arrangement. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Regional refugee coordinator (RRG) reported that 
UNHCR Israel head Michael Bavly said the plan would return 
most of the current African asylum seekers (and every future 
asylum seeker) to Egypt.  He speculated that, if the GOI-GOE 
agreement is successfully implemented, the GOI would likely 
grant prima facie refugee status to those it believes are 
from Darfur.  RRG noted that UNHCR-HQ's position on the plan 
was unclear.  Comment: Given the lack of a formal agreement 
 
 
between Israel and Egypt, as well as the lack of a concrete 
plan on the part of the GOI to provide legal status to 
Darfurians, it is hard to say exactly what will happen. End 
comment. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The GOI contact asked that the request (reftel C) 
she forwarded earlier for the USG to approach the GOE with a 
similar proposal be put on hold until the prospects for this 
proposal become more clear. 
 
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