Former senior Mossad official Haggai Hadas was appointed recently by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to spearhead efforts to find a solution for Israel's African migrant problem. Israel Hayom has learned that Hadas' appointment, which has not gone public yet, was decided by Netanyahu, in conjunction with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and with the knowledge of Interior Minister Eli Yishai, who has intensified his efforts to combat the infiltrator and illegal immigrant problem. Within the framework of his position which is a new one Hadas will be responsible for finding diplomatic, humanitarian and operational solutions aimed at returning migrants to their countries of origin in Africa. He is to do so while also overseeing projects to complete security fence construction along the Egyptian border and detention centers in the south of the country. Hadas, 59, has served in a number of positions in the Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service. Following the failed assassination attempt of senior Hamas official and current Qatar-based political bureau chief Khaled Mashaal in Jordan in 1997, he was appointed to command the spy agency's special operations unit "Caesarea." He retired but later returned to the Mossad to head its manpower division, the third most senior position in the organization. In 2005, after being passed up for the position of deputy Mossad director, Hadas retired for good and initiated a number of different business ventures. In 2009 Netanyahu selected Hadas as his representative in negotiations for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit, held captive by Hamas in Gaza a position Hadas held for two years. In April 2011, Hadas was replaced by David Meidan, also from the Mossad, who finally succeeded in facilitating a prisoner swap with Hamas. As part of his new position, Hadas is charged with finding the means to expedite the infiltrators' return to their home countries. In July, the last of the infiltrators from South Sudan were flown home. Next month, Israel will begin sending Ivory Coast nationals back home. The main problem for Hadas to deal with is that the remaining tens of thousands of Eritrean and Sudanese infiltrators currently in Israel cannot be returned home due to the tenuous security situation in their respective countries. On Wednesday, Yishai directed the Population and Immigration Authority to begin for the first time including the 15,000 Sudanese nationals in detention operations, starting Oct. 15. The interior minister decided to give them a month and a half to settle their affairs with their employers, and the ministry said it would provide them with all the logistical support to help them leave Israel "freely" and in a dignified manner. "Infiltrators who choose to leave by this date (Oct. 15) will receive assistance from the Interior Ministry, but those who don't leave will be detained and deported," said Yishai, who said he also intended to advance measures to grant legal legitimacy to deport Eritreans as well, of which there are some 40,000 to 50,000 in Israel. "It is my intention to make life in Israel miserable for the Sudanese and Eritrean infiltrators, until they realize that their place is not here. Whoever wishes to keep talking and end up a future witness in the commission of inquiry investigating how Israel was lost should talk. Whoever wants to act and ensure a Jewish and Zionist state for his children should act. I choose to take action," said Yishai. Meanwhile, refugee aid organizations in Israel blasted Yishai's directive to deport Sudanese nationals after the Jewish holiday season, Army Radio reported Thursday, saying the interior minister had "lost his humanity." According to a statement from one refugee aid organization: "It is strange that Yishai, who spoke on the same day against racism and discrimination against Sephardi girls in Emanuel which is despicable in its own right can't see the racism against African refugees that he himself is inflaming." According to official estimates, there are 60,000 Africans in Israel today. The past few months have seen a steep drop of infiltrators entering Israel, which has coincided with the progression of the security fence's construction along the Egyptian border. In August, only 196 infiltrators crossed into Israel, compared to some 2,000 last May. The main reason fort the decrease in infiltrators is the extra effort invested in completing the security fence: The defense establishment is currently finishing construction of the fence's 200th kilometer, and by the end of September the entire project is expected to be completed from Kerem Shalom nearly all the way to Eilat (aside from a small mountainous sector west of Eilat). Construction was also accelerated due to the deteriorating security situation emanating from the Sinai Peninsula, and amid concerns that terrorists there could exploit the infiltrator platform as a means to sneak terrorists and weapons into the country. The total cost of dealing with the infiltrator problem is estimated at some NIS 2 billion ($496 million), which will include the expansion of the Ketziot infiltrator detention center in southern Israel. Meanwhile, due to the drop in the amount of new infiltrators entering Israel, it was also decided that infiltrators arrested in Israeli cities would be transferred there until they are deported. The Prime Minister's Office confirmed Wednesday that "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed Haggai Hadas to help coordinate efforts to return the illegal infiltrators [to their homelands]."
