"....The students and MKs are right, given the chilling evidence that, for the Sudanese, remaining in Egypt can be a Death sentence.
In a Channel 10 interview on Saturday night, an Israeli soldier said he saw Egyptian soldiers Kill 4 Sudanese who were attempting to cross the border into Israel. IDF soldiers saw 2 refugees being Shot and Killed as they approached the border, while a third was wounded.
The IDF soldier said he tried to help the Fourth refugee scale the fence, but Egyptian soldiers grabbed the refugee's legs and aimed their weapons at the Israeli soldiers. The IDF soldier let go, fearing the Egyptians would shoot him, and saw the Egyptians Beating the wounded refugee to death with clubs and stones. The whole incident was captured on Video, which Channel 10 chose not to broadcast.
In this context, it should be obvious that a recent agreement between Israel and Egypt under which Israel would return some Sudanese refugees to Egypt needs to be reexamined. Israel must under no circumstances Send refugees to their death.
At the same time, it is unacceptable that Egypt, a country that receives billions of dollars in assistance from the US and tries to portray itself as moderate and democratic, cannot act as a place of asylum for Muslim refugees fleeing a neighboring land. It is Unthinkable that Egypt will be treated like a civilized nation, including playing a pivotal regional diplomatic role, while it is treating refugees with complete barbarity.
A surprisingly frank article in the current Al-Ahram Weekly (Egypt) explains:
"Excessively harsh socioeconomic conditions and Racist attitudes in Egypt seem to be the main reason why Sudanese refugees want to relocate to Israel. Of the Sudanese refugees now resident in Israel, 71% report verbal and physical Abuse as the main reason for their fleeing Egypt. ...."