by Akiva Bigman
Non-binding agreement, which grants labor migrants same legal status as refugees, could eventually be incorporated into international law.
Israel should not
join the new U.N.-drafted agreement aiming to protect the rights of
migrants because it would hurt its own interests, the Israeli
Immigration Policy Center warned on Sunday.
The center, known also as Eitan, has been
actively calling on the government take a more aggressive approach to
illegal immigration.
Under the recently negotiated Global
Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, U.N. member states
tentatively agreed to cement the rights of refugees under the auspices
of the U.N. Charter. The document is set to be officially adopted in
December, during an intergovernmental conference in Morocco.
According to the Foreign Ministry website,
Israeli officials have taken part in the formulation of the draft,
having participated in meetings of the forum that compiled the pact and
having presented the forum with relevant materials.
Unlike other agreements and conventions,
the new compact will grant labor migrants the same legal status under
international law as asylum seekers and refugees who flee tyrannical
regimes. This would essentially make all migrants, legal or not,
eligible for economic benefits.
The pact strives to "develop national
short-, medium- and long-term policy goals regarding the inclusion of
migrants in societies, including on labor market integration, family
reunification, education, non-discrimination and health, including by
fostering partnerships with relevant stakeholders" and to "provide newly
arrived migrants with targeted, gender-responsive, child-sensitive,
accessible and comprehensive information and legal guidance on their
rights and obligations, including on compliance with national and local
laws, obtaining of work and resident permits, status adjustments,
registration with authorities, access to justice to file complaints
about rights violations, as well as access to basic services."
If adopted, the compact would not be
legally binding, but its ambiguous wording could result in some parts of
it being incorporated into international law, particularly if it is
adopted by an overwhelming majority of member states. It also uses
phrases such as "we commit" and "collective commitment."
For this reason, the U.S., Australia,
Austria and Hungary have refused to be a party to this compact. The
Czech Republic, Poland and Croatia have also indicated they would not
join it, while Canada and Germany have seen campaigns against its
adoption.
"The agreement runs against Israel's core
sovereign interests," the Israeli Immigration Policy Center said in a
statement. "There is no justification for joining an international pact
that undermines our interests. We call on Prime Minister [Benjamin]
Netanyahu to make it clear that he will not join this radical
agreement."
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying: "No decision has been made on this topic."
Akiva Bigman
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/11/19/international-migration-pact-threatens-israel-ngo-warns/
Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter
No comments:
Post a Comment