Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked on Tuesday said Ukrainians fleeing the war are allowed to enter Israel despite earlier indication from the Israeli government, suggesting it will not accept refugees.
Shaked's comments came after Ukraine's Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk expressed disappointment over Israel's unwillingness to absorbs Ukrainian war refugees in a press conference on Tuesday.
"We should stick to the facts. Since this morning, 97 passengers from different countries in the world with Ukrainian passports arrived in Israel, and only two were turned away," Shaked said.
Nonetheless, population and immigration authority data show that since the beginning of the war up until Tuesday morning, 253 passengers with Ukrainian passports arrived in Israel and 50 were turned away.
Ukraine's Ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk in press conference
(video: Shahar Goldstein )
The ambassador's word were echoed in a protests in Haifa on Tuesday evening. "In such a critical point we have to unite and help as many Ukrainian refugees as possible", said city council man, Kirill Karetnik.
"It doesn't matter if they're coming for a month, or two or three. I understand the problematic nature and fear that they won't leave, but we must open our hearts and understand that we're dealing with an unconventional problem," said Karetnik participating in the protest in Haifa, which included 2,000 people.
The city council, who himself immigrated from Ukraine, condemned Shaked's decision to demand a deposit of NIS 10,000 from the refugees as well as a family member or acquaintance in Israel.
"We're witnessing the horrible events and we feel the heartache, especially of those that were born and raised in the Soviet Union or Commonwealth of Independent States. I am one of them, I was born in Ukraine, and my family members and friends are still there. As a Haifa city council member, I'm determined to do everything I can in order to make the upcoming immigration wave from Ukraine as easy as possible, and I've already started to act," Karetnik said.
The protesters gathered in the Hadar neighborhood of Haifa and marched across the city waving Ukrainian flags and exclaiming anti-Putin chants.