Washington Post: Thousands of Syrians Fleeing Toward Israel’s Border

Israel’s hardline policy on entrance for refugees has drawn ire from the international community. As fighting in Syria draws closer to the Israeli border, Syrian refugees – an estimated 11,000 – plead for safe haven. A recent article for the Washington Post observes, “forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russian airstrikes, are in the midst of a final push to recapture territory held by various rebel groups.” According to the United Nations 270,000 people have fled their homes to escape bombardments in the province of Daraa. Both the Israeli and Jordanian borders remain closed to the influx of displaced people. Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman suggests the situation is being monitored: “We will continue to preserve Israel’s security interests and, as always, we are prepared to provide any humanitarian aid to women and children, but we will not accept any Syrian refugees into our territory.” Since late June, the Israeli military has reinforced its artillery and armored units in the border region. Ruth Eglash writes for the Washington Post: “despite international pleas, Israel has consistently pushed back against taking in refugees, even as neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey have accepted hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians.” –YaleGlobal