Sympathetic Israel Too Small To Take In Syrian Refugees, say PM Benjamin Netanyahu

Times of Israel | Migrants Crisis

Israel is too small to take in Syrian refugees according to a report by the Times of Israel.

It comes as Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu faced divided opinion at home on how to respond to the growing crisis which stemmed from millions displaced by the four year Syrian war attempting to enter Europe.

The photo of a Turkey official scooping the dead body of 3 year-old
 Aylan Kurdi, who died alongside his brother and mother when their boat flipped
shortly after leaving Turkey, touched hearts last week and has forced many
 world leader to have a rethink of their position to the issue.

While some senior Israeli political figures argue for more caution on the part of the government, others, like Ayoub Kara, the Deputy Minister for Regional Affairs, urged the PM to accept tens of thousands of the migrants.

Kara reportedly said Israel needed to take in refugees from the Syrian minorities, especially the Druze, maintaining that “It can’t be that a people that experienced what it did 70 years ago can disregard this and say ‘I am not in the game’ — that can’t happen.”

Opposition Leader, Isaac Herzog, who was defeated when Benjamin Netanyahu secured a shock win in the last election, said Israel was duty bound to take in refugees from Syria. But Israeli Transport Minister, Yisrael Katz will not have that suggestion, calling it a lack of political wisdom and lack of national responsibility.

* Risky journey to find a new life.

In his formal response to the controversy, the Netanyahu said Israel is not indifferent to the plight of the Syrian refugees, but simply cannot afford to take in refugees as it does not have the capacity to absorb them.

The PM said Israel must protect itself from influx of ‘illegal immigrants and perpetrators of terrorism’. The statement comes as some of the Migrants finally reached Germany, where they were welcomed and hope to begin a new life.

[ "Israel must protect itself from influx of ‘illegal immigrants and perpetrators of terrorism’" - Benjamin Netanyahu ]

After his weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Netanyahu reportedly said: “Israel is not indifferent to human tragedy; we conscientiously handled a thousand [people] who were wounded in the fighting in Syria and we have helped them rebuild their lives.”

* The lucky ones rejoiced after they reach their
destination following weeks of traveling.

He said: “However, Israel is a very small country. It has no demographic depth and has no geographic breadth,” adding “We must protect our borders against illegal immigrants and against the perpetrators of terrorism. We cannot allow Israel to be flooded with infiltrators.”

Israel is not the only middle eastern country that is worried about migrant crisis. Many Arab states have remained quiet over the problem, just as Islamic State continues to destroy ancient monuments in areas within it's control.