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State Comptroller Harshly Criticized Israel’s Handling of Asylum Requests

The State Comptroller’s Report published on May 8, 2018 notes a series of failings in the State’s treatment of asylum seekers in Israel.

The Comptroller concludes: “The Comptroller’s office found numerous and significant flaws in the treatment of asylum requests by the Immigration Authority, including significant delays in processing applications, faulty management of requests, and severe flaws in the treatment of requests made by asylum seekers from the Darfur region of Sudan.

“Delay in handling applications is a serious violation of the right to asylum and a breach of the duty of fair process. The reports’ findings oblige the Minister of Interior and the Immigration Authority to take firm action, as detailed in the report, to establish the professional infrastructure required for efficient and purposeful handling of applications for political asylum, in a manner that ensures the protection of the rights of the applicants.”

The State Comptroller’s Report dwells on the “serious difficulties noted by the court and the attorney general” regarding the mistreatment of asylum applications submitted by asylum seekers from the Darfur region. The report quotes the Deputy Attorney General’s opinion that “there is a legal difficulty in protecting the pace at which asylum applications are processed, including the lack of decisions in applications of Eritreans and Darfur region nationals that were submitted long before.

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