Asia

Home page

Asia

Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemns arson attack against migrants

05 June 2012 02:14 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Monday harshly condemned the torching of an apartment of African migrant workers in Jerusalem earlier in the day, saying that " there is no justification to such a heinous crime that puts people ’s lives in harm’s way," APA reports quoting Xinhua

"The issue of migrants and infiltrators from Africa is not a simple one and it requires the government to address in the most serious and responsible manner," the ministry said in a statement, adding that it is currently cooperating with other governments and international bodies to "develop solutions to the various and complex aspects arising from this issue."

Written both in Hebrew and English, the statement went on to say that "no person has the right to violate the law and resort to violence against others, certainly not to endanger lives, for any reason whatsoever."

"Law and ethics prohibit any injury to the other, the guest and the foreigner. Jewish history compels us to take exceptional caution on these matters," according to the statement sent to Xinhua.

Top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres, have previously condemned violence against foreign workers. But Monday’s statement was the ministry’s first official response to the anti-migrant wave that has swept the country in recent weeks.

It came after anonymous arsonists set fire to an apartment building in downtown Jerusalem which houses some 50 foreign workers, shortly after 3 a.m. local time (GMT 1200) on Monday.

Three Eritreans that shared an apartment with seven other African migrants sustained light injuries due to smoke inhalation and minor burns while attempting to escape the blaze. They were evacuated to a local hospital for medical treatment and released a few hours later.

An initial investigation pointed to foul play, after police and firefighters found "get out of the neighborhood!" spray painted on an exterior wall, as well as remnants of flammable materials at the scene, according to local media reports.

Jerusalem Fire and Rescue spokesman Asaf Abras described the fire as "a death trap," and said the arsonists attempted to physically harm the migrants, rather than just scaring them.

"The outcome could have easily been tragic," Abras told The Jerusalem Post.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat swiftly condemned the attack, saying in a statement that he had instructed local police to "act with a strong hand" against any racial violence in his city.

The incident came amid rising tensions in Israel over the influx of illegal African work migrants, the majority of whom reside in south Tel Aviv, where revenge attacks that mostly target Eritreans and South Sudanese by Israelis ired by their presence have become a regular occurrence in recent weeks.

The government says 60,000 Africans currently reside here, with more than a thousand entering every month, and has launched several emergency measures meant to stem the tide.

On Sunday, the so-called "Infiltrators Law," which grants authorities the power to incarcerate new migrants for up to three years without trial or deportation, went into effect.