On 3.5.2020, it was published that five Sudanese citizens who had crossed the border between Lebanon and Israel had been deported to Lebanon by the IDF. According to International Law, a person may not be returned to a place where they would be in danger of persecution or torture, nor any location where they might be relocated to another place where they would be harmed.
In the prior decade, we fought against this illegal and dangerous practice as it was done onto those passing through the Egyptian border, and even petitioned to the High Court of Justice. The State presented the courts with a procedure, and committed to a number of criteria to be followed. In reality, the practice was only minimized, and all such deportation cases following the fact were categorized as incidental failures to follow procedure.
Following the deportation to Lebanon, on 13.5.2020, Hotline for Refugees and Migrants, ACRI, ASSAF - Aid Organization for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Israel, and Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) appealed to the Government’s Attorney General and the IDF. The organizations asked for the State to declare that it would immediately stop this type of deportation, and that moving forward will act according to International Law and its obligation to the High Court of Justice, including the transfer of a person to the Asylum Seeker Treatment Unit for the purpose of submitting an asylum application.