Israel Initiative Update
As part of our research on refugees around the world, we found an article about South Africa, where the high court of Cape town instructed to close a refugee camp in the town, as per the request of the municipality and UNHCR.
The court’s ruling shows, once again, that when it comes to refugees, the world uses common sense – unless the refugees are Palestinian and under UNRWA’s jurisdiction. Therefore, The Israeli Initiative sent a press release in which we described the situation and its consequences. As a result of the press release, articles were published in Arutz Sheva in Hebrew and in English, and I was interviewed on the new radio station “Galei Yisrael.”
In the press release, we called upon Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin and Nir Barkat, Mayor of Jerusalem, to work towards closing the refugee camps in Jerusalem. Rivlin has said many times that the existence of refugee camps in Jerusalem is an embarrassment to Israel, but he has never done anything beyond talking.
We believe that closing camps in Jerusalem will serve as a model for the correct treatment of the Palestinian refugee problem. Instead of relying on negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian authority, which lead nowhere, a solution that is fair to both sides can be promoted.
The article in Arutz Sheva:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/136263
