VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTV #0909/01 1091501
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 181501Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6394
INFO RUEHAB/AMEMBASSY ABIDJAN PRIORITY 0016
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA PRIORITY 0039
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 3979
RUEHAE/AMEMBASSY ASMARA PRIORITY 0068
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 1993
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM PRIORITY 0070
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 9557
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0594

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000909 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PREF PHUM IS AF SU EG
SUBJECT: ISRAELI NGOS FRUSTRATED WITH CURRENT ASYLUM SYSTEM 
 
REF: TEL AVIV 891 - NOTAL 
 
THIS MESSAGE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE TREAT 
ACCORDINGLY. 
 
 ¶1. (SBU) Summary.  At an April 6-7 Tel Aviv University 
Conference on "Designing an Asylum System in Israel," Israeli 
human rights advocacy NGOs expressed dissatisfaction with the 
existing asylum system, describing it as biased and lacking 
transparency.  The NGOs also are disappointed with the 
absence of government assistance for the growing number of 
African asylum-seekers in the country.  UNHCR plans to 
mobilize emergency funding to support medical care, 
psycho-social counseling, legal aid, and shelters for this 
population.  End Summary 
 
Visit of PRM DAS Ryan 
--------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) PRM Deputy Assistant Secretary Kelly Ryan and DHS 
Director for Asylum Joe Langlois participated in an April 6-7 
conference hosted by Tel Aviv University entitled "Developing 
an Asylum System in Israel" and attended by academics from 
the U.S., Australia, Canada, and Denmark, Israeli human 
rights organizations and academics, and GOI officials. On 
April 9, DAS Ryan met with GOI officials in the Ministries of 
Justice, Interior and Foreign Affairs as well as with 
Director General of the Prime Minister's office Raanan Dinur 
to discuss the development of an asylum system to cope with 
the rising numbers of African asylum-seekers in Israel 
(reftel). 
 
The Existing Asylum Process 
--------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Over 9,000 African asylum seekers are currently 
registered with UNHCR in Israel with between 30 - 60 new 
arrivals every day.  Over 95 percent arrive by land across 
the Israel-Egypt border; some are interdicted and detained in 
Ketziot prison in the Negev, others are interdicted and 
released due to lack of prison capacity, while others make 
their own way to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.  UNHCR registers all 
new arrivals.  Thus far, UNHCR has focused its resources on 
conducting refugee status determinations (RSDs) for 
asylum-seekers of nationalities that are less likely to have 
refugee claims, such as the roughly 1,200 Cote d'Ivoire 
nationals and 400 Nigerians. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Although Israel has not adopted enabling legislation 
related to the 1951 Refugee Convention, the GOI issued 
regulations in 2002 "Regarding the Treatment of Asylum 
Seekers in Israel."  According to these regulations, UNHCR 
will present RSDs to the National Status Granting Board 
(NSGB) comprised of government officials from the Ministry of 
Interior, Justice and Foreign Affairs.  The NSGB decides 
whether or not to grant an applicant refugee status.  The 
regulation prohibits UNHCR from issuing "documents 
recognizing the refugee status of applicants present in 
Israel."  Israel also reserves the right not to grant a 
permit to enable the stay in Israel of nationals of an "enemy 
state." 
 
¶5. (SBU) According to Israeli regulation, an applicant 
rejected by the NSGB may petition to the same body for 
reconsideration.  If rejected again, the applicant's last 
opportunity for appeal is to the Minister of Interior.  The 
regulation does not allow for an applicant to have legal 
representation nor the opportunity for rebuttal prior to an 
NSGB decision. 
 
Israeli NGOs: Shortcomings of Current System 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) In the April 6-7 Tel Aviv University Asylum 
Conference, Israeli human rights and advocacy NGOs expressed 
serious dissatisfaction with the existing asylum system. 
They claim that the system lacks transparency; is based on 
Israel,s foreign policy; and fails to provide for judicial 
review of NSGB decisions or legal representation.  When NSGB 
Chairperson Ofra Friedman gave a conference presentation 
describing two specific asylum cases that the NSGB had 
rejected, the Director for Hotline for Migrants Workers noted 
that one of the cases involved her client and that neither 
she nor her client had been informed of the NSGB's negative 
decision. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) Director Ran Cohen 
cited problems faced by asylum-seekers in obtaining health 
care, education for minors and legal aid.  The government, he 
said, has failed to provide a social safety net for this 
population.  African Refugee Development Center (ARDC) 
Director Yohannes Lemma reported that the GOI had recently 
closed down all but one of their shelters with the promise to 
provide work permits to the residents.  However, he said, 
work permits were distributed unequally and in an ad hoc 
manner. In many cases, the permits were given directly to an 
employer, thereby limiting the asylum-seekers' freedom of 
movement and encouraging worker exploitation.  On April 11, 
UNHCR Representative Steven Wolfson noted that some 
asylum-seekers who had received permits for work in Eilat 
were returning to Tel Aviv after encountering poor conditions 
or no work opportunities. 
 
UNHCR To Mobilize Emergency Resources 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) UNHCR's Wolfson told DAS Ryan April 7 that UNHCR 
will mobilize emergency resources to assist roughly 10,000 
asylum seekers in Israel.  Wolfson reported to RefCoord April 
11 that UNHCR/HQ had approved emergency funding of $600,000 
for programs while another $600,000 in administrative funding 
is pending approval and would support staff salaries and the 
move to a new office building.  If the total $1.2 million is 
approved, it would bring UNHCR's 2008 budget in Israel to 
$1.9 million.  Wolfson also noted that a TDY UNHCR program 
officer is in Tel Aviv to design projects with four NGOs: 
ARDC for shelter support, PHR for medical care, Hotline for 
Migrant Workers for legal aid, and AASAF for psycho-social 
counseling.  However, Wolfson said, UNHCR is reluctant to 
provide material assistance to asylum-seekers in "the 28th 
wealthiest country in the world." 
 
¶9. (U) PRM DAS Kelly Ryan has cleared this message. 
 
********************************************* ******************** 
Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv 
 
You can also access this site through the State Department's 
Classified SIPRNET website. 
********************************************* ******************** 
JONES