June 28, 2012

(JTA) – Migrant worker from the Ivory Coast have two weeks to leave Israel before they begin being arrested and ultimately deported, Interior Minister Eli Yishai has announced.

Migrants who chose to leave on their own will receive $500 per adult and $100 per child, according to an Interior Ministry Statement, the Jerusalem Post reported. 

There are up to 65,000 African migrants in the country with those from the Ivory Coast numbering from a few hundred to about 2,000, according to the newspaper.

In a message to the migrants, Yishai reportedly said: “You have two weeks to leave. Whoever does so will be eligible for a subsidy. Whoever does not will be thrown out.”

Earlier this week, 150 South Sudanese migrants were deported from Israel. The Interior Ministry offered them  1,000 Euros, or about $800 for leaving voluntarily. A ministry spokesman said that the discrepancy between that and what the Ivory Coast residents are receiving was unimportant, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara met in Israel earlier this month and agreed on a repatriation plan. The migrants had arrived in Israel without permission.

Don’t miss out! Get the JTA Daily Briefing delivered FREE to your inbox!

Click to login and write a letter to the editor.

This article was made possible by the support of readers like you. Donate to JTA now.