Israel's judicial system should support a judge who defends the interests of Ukrainian refugees, - media
The leadership of the Israeli judiciary must support Judge Michał Agmon-Gonen, who is under attack for her position in defending the interests of Ukrainian refugees in Israel. This is stated in an editorial in Haaretz.
«A minuscule number of Ukrainian refugees reached Israel, a country that was founded by refugees fleeing Europe. But instead of stepping up and doing everything possible to help them, the state has mainly been busy finding ways to reduce the number of people it lets in, and is admitting only the Jews among them. The appeals against the Population and Immigration Authority’s decisions submitted by Ukrainians seeking refuge in Israel come before Tel Aviv District Court Judge Michal Agmon-Gonen. She stands, almost alone, against the attitude of the state and the Interior Ministry», - the publication reads.
The author notes that the judge has made a number of decisions that protect the basic human rights of refugees arriving in Israel.
«She has prevented the deportation of those whose requests to remain in Israel were denied. She ordered the Population Authority to give the refugees temporary work permits, and required the state to allow them to remain in Israel for 48 hours to fully explore their legal options before deportation», - the article said.
At the same time, a political game began around the judge and Agmon-Gonen was attacked.
«The right wing, which is cold-blooded towards foreigners even in wartime, does not like these decisions, and Agmon-Gonen began to receive complaints. Some of them are directly related to its decisions, while others are related to ethics. But after a short investigation, the complaint was rejected», - the author notes.
At the same time, the publication calls for consolidation around the support of this judge.
«Agmon-Gonen is saving the honor of the justice system and the state in her attitude toward the refugees. The president of the Supreme Court should publicly support Agmon-Gonen, late as it may be», - the author concluded.
Earlier, the Supreme Court of Israel at the suit of the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel issued an interim decision in favor of Ukraine on the introduction by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of quotas for Ukrainian refugees. The plaintiff demanded that the Israeli authorities adhere to the intergovernmental agreements on visa-free entry into Israel for Ukrainian citizens. The court recognized the existence of legal decisions to consider the issue of entry of Ukrainian citizens into Israel.