Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said on Tuesday that Israel will allot 5,000 entry visas to non-Jewish Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war.
Speaking to the press in Tel Aviv, Shaked announced the new policy towards those arriving from Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion, which is the biggest ground offensive in Europe since World War II.
"Israel will host temporarily about 20,000 Ukrainian citizens who resided, most of them illegally, in Israel before the fighting broke out," Shaked said, referring to visitors and workers, such as caregivers for the elderly, who overstayed their visas.
"In addition, if, God forbid, the battles don't end within a reasonable time, we will allow them to work in Israel," she said.
Israelis will no longer be required to post a monetary sum in the name of relatives who are seeking shelter in the country, but will be asked to sign a commitment that their guests will leave the country when the emergency is over.
Shaked has come under criticism from ministers in the cabinet after refugees were stopped for hours at the airport and some were turned away.
Despite increasing the cap of non-Jews allowed into the county to 5,000, in reality since the breakout of the war, 3,456 non-Jewish Ukrainians have arrived in Israel, leaving open less than 2,000 additional slots before the threshold is reached.
Once the limit of 5,000 is reached, a Ukrainian citizen will be allowed to enter for every Ukrainian that leaves.
Shaked said that any Ukrainian citizen who wants to come to Israel will fill out a digital request form in the Foreign Ministry website, and as long there are open slots, they will be permitted temporary entrance to Israel.
The new rule will take effect at midnight Sunday. Shaked emphasized that Israel is facing a unique challenge, in which thousands of Jews are expected to come to Israel from Ukraine and Russia as a result of the war, in addition of non-Jewish refugees.
"The images of war in Ukraine and the sufferings of civilians are shocking, and make it impossible to remain indifferent," Shaked said in her statement. "These terrible events have a direct impact on Israel, that is preparing to absorb about 100 thousand Jews and those eligible under Israel's law of return and are escaping from the war."
Shaked said that despite the significant challenge this will pose, Israel has proven in the past that it can rise to the challenge.
"The clearer the situation becomes, the more obvious it is that Israel cannot continue to absorb Ukrainians with no limit," Shaked said.
"Any logical person can understand that this kind of reality demands consideration and a balanced and sustainable policy. It's easy to criticize and laugh, it's harder to carry the responsible of the future of Israel and make the right decisions," she said.
Earlier today, Immigration and Absorption Pnina Tamano-Shata congratulated Shaked for "listening to the voices in the government and cancelling the deposit demand as a condition for entering Israel".
"We, as Jews, must open our gates unconditionally - come from a place of understanding that its time to save lives, Jewish or not," Tamano-Shata said.
First published: 20:46, 03.08.22