CAIRO: Israel's parliament, or Knesset, is to vote on Sunday on a new facility that would enable security to hold up to 10,000 African migrants illegally crossing the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt to the Jewish state. The idea comes less than one week after construction on a border fence along the porous border began and the government says the facility would be a a place where basic needs are met, but would not be allowed to work in the country. Israel has been looking at ways of curtailing illegal immigration from Egypt in recent months after the country's Population and Immigration Authority said that nearly 35,000 people have crossed the border illegally this year. In 2009, the same body said an average of 300 people crossed the border monthly. Israel has also called on Egypt to do more to stop the illegal migrants from crossing into the Jewish state. Egypt, for its part, has said it deployed additional police to the border in an effort to stop Africans from crossing the lengthy desert border. “The number of African economic migrants and asylum seekers sneaking into Israel has leaped this year,” Interior Ministry spokesperson Sabine Haddad said on Monday. Egypt has resorted to violence and live fire to stop migrants from entering Israel. International and local rights groups have condemned the continued use of violence to stop African migrants, saying the migrants are not a threat to police. Africans in Egypt complain of poor living conditions and bad treatment at the hands of their host nation. Many see Israel as the next best solution for their troubles and are willing to risk death to reach the Jewish state, refugees in Egypt have repeatedly said. Ali, a Somali refugee in Cairo, told Bikya Masr that living in Egypt is “one of the worst things I have experienced in my life.” He points to racism and lack of opportunities as the main hardships. He was the victim of police's heavy hand in Egypt a few years ago when he and two roommates were held in connection with the murder of an elderly man in their building. According to Ali, the two Somali men and one woman were detained for 9 months without charge and were “tortured on a regular basis.” He says life is hard. “I know a lot of people who would rather risk being killed on the border than continue to sit around Cairo and be faced with all these troubles because of our status. We can't even work,” he said. Dozens of Africans have been shot dead by Egyptian police in recent years, as refugees and migrants continue to complain of poor treatment and conditions inside Egypt. BM
