Cablegate: Trafficking in Persons Incident On Israel-Egypt

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002698

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR NEA/IPA; GTIP FOR GAYATRI PATEL; PRM FOR GEORGE
ALDRIDGE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF SMIG IS EG GTIP ISRAELI SOCIETY
SUBJECT: TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS INCIDENT ON ISRAEL-EGYPT
BORDER

1. (U) Israel Radio reported at 1200 on Friday, June 30 that
IDF soldiers killed a Sudanese national in the course of his
arrest. He was reportedly in the company of nine other
Sudanese, three residents of the Gaza Strip, and three "call
girls from Russia." The IDF shot the Sudanese national,
according to Israel Radio, after he fled the vehicle
containing all sixteen illegal migrants.

2. (SBU) Official GOI Anti-Trafficking Coordinator Rachel
Gershuni confirmed the press report to poloff July 3, and
said that two of the women came from Moldova, and one from
the Sudan. Gershuni said that the head of the crime unit in
the Immigration Administration, Ziva Agami Cohen, informed
her that the two Moldovan women were transferred immediately
to Tsohar detention center in the south of Israel, where they
were offered the option of immediate transfer to the shelter
in Tel Aviv for trafficking victims. Ziva Agami Cohen
confirmed these details to poloff on July 5, adding that the
two women elected to go to the shelter and were transported
there within 24 hours of their June 30 apprehension. Cohen
said that the two Moldovan women appeared to be trafficking
victims, but that the Sudanese woman did not. She said that
the Sudanese woman formed part of a recent wave of asylum
seekers traveling to Israel from Sudan via Egypt. (Note:
Cohen also reported that a formal policy has been agreed
between the Immigration Administration and the Israeli Border
Police that, in the future, all suspected trafficking victims
will be sent directly to the shelter, without stopping first
at a detention center. End note.)

********************************************* ********************
Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv

You can also access this site through the State Department's
Classified SIPRNET website.
********************************************* ********************
JONES

© Scoop Media