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Opinions of Saturday, 10 February 2018

Columnist: Stephen A.Quaye

Illegal Ghanaian migrants, 'leave Israel in peace'

Some deportees [file photo] Some deportees [file photo]

“My permit to travel from Tel Aviv-Israel to Canada was issued after I posted my prayer request to God and prayed for 40 days at the Western Wall in Jerusalem” says Jersey.

“I lost custody of my daughter for several years. But I won full custody of her after I posted my prayer request to God and prayed for 40 days at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.” Felicia shared her testimony with me.

Paulina, very excited shared her testimony with me of how she got a new job full of good benefits, good people to work with, flexible schedules, good working conditions and many more after she posted her prayer request to God and prayed for 40 days at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

Tears of joy streamed down the face of Ernestina as she also shared her testimony of how she got a wonderful baby after she posted her prayer request to God and prayed for 40 days at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. “I needed a baby so I wrote my prayer request and posted it to God and prayed for 40 days. I had a baby within a year after I posted my prayer which was a great miracle ever to have happen in my life” Ernestina was full of praise to God.

These and many other stories of testimonies shared by people who migrated to Israel from Ghana who are presently residing in Canada to encourage those currently trapped in Israel to follow and experience breakthroughs in their lives.

The Israeli government under the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it will pay thousands of African migrants living illegally in the country to leave, threatening them with jail if they are caught after the end of March 2018.

According to the international news wire service Reuters, the plan launched couple of months ago offer African migrants a $3,500 payment from Israeli government and a free air ticket to return home or go to, “third countries” which human rights groups identified as Rwanda and Uganda.

Many African migrants who are working low pay jobs that locals shun have protested the voluntary deportation order by the government to the Supreme Court and United Nations Human Rights Groups.

But looking at the volatile security situation in the Middle East, especially between Israel and Palestine and all other surrounding Arab countries, it will be proper to urge the migrants to take advantage of the voluntary deportation programme and leave Israel in peace.

No wonder the prime minister of Israel has describe these illegal migrants including possible Ghanaian migrants in southern Tel Aviv poor living suburbs as a threat to the country’s national security.

However, it was more insulting, denigrating, demonizing and condemning when a whole immigration official of the country described the illegal migrants as “cancer” to the country. It should be condemned by all.

Human migration can be simply defined as a seasonal movement of individuals or groups of people from one region to another region as in the case of these African migrants from various parts of Africa to Israel.

Many reasons informed their choice to migrate from Africa to Israel including, good jobs, business, education and avoiding economic hardships.

According to the story, a computer data base has been launched to track down 38,000 or more migrants living illegally in Israel and some 1,420 who are being held in two detention centers and deport them out from the country.

Using a computer data base to track down illegal migrants means the government through its security forces will be checking all the facts about illegal migrants in the country and deport them after March 2018.

This is not a joke at all. Seriously, it is not a comic event or exercise to take place and laugh over but a serious exercise that should serve as a wakeup call on all.

Ghanaians are not crooks, gangs, drug barons, harden criminals either living at home or in foreign destinations as they work hard to live responsible lives.

These migrants were either forced or pulled to leave their various countries of origin to Israel and now are being told to leave which is not easy thing at all.

But as I urged them to leave I will not just tell them to leave without giving them hope and assurance that God knows why which is good for them. Let me share my own testimony with readers to understand why I am for the voluntary deportation.

In 2011 after my marriage in Ghana, I embarked on pilgrimage to Israel the Holy land and Bethlehem which is under the Palestinian Authority.

As part of the pilgrimage was a sacred exercise which was writing ones prayer request and insert it in the cracks of the Western Wall, the Holiest Place in Jerusalem for God to grant those request.

So elated, I scribble my prayer request where I asked God to bless me with a Canadian citizenship, a beautiful daughter and a handsome clever son and inserted it into the cracks of the wall.

Two months after the sacred exercise I had a vision where a beautiful baby girl was being placed on my laps. Two weeks after that wonderful vision another one followed where I saw in a dream a nice parcel delivered to me.

Eight months after the pilgrimage and the sacred exercise, exactly on July 1, 2012, my Canadian citizenship was approved and I was sworn in as a Canadian at a colorful citizenship ceremony in Etobicoke.

My wife delivered my beautiful smart daughter on September 2013 and the handsome cleaver boy on October 2015.

Illegal immigrants being told to leave Israel may have lived in the country for years but have never visited the Holiest place in Jerusalem where it is believed that all prayers and supplication ascend to the court of heaven for God to grant them for us.

Let me urge all those who are being asked to leave Israel to scribble their request of next destination on a piece of paper, go to the Western Wall and insert it into the wall and see the miracles of God unfolding in their lives.

To support my argument, please read 1 Kings 8:41-43 where King Solomon prayed for strangers who comes to Israel to seek the face of the Lord and I quote, “ Moreover concerning a stranger that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy names sake:

For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm :) when he shall come and pray toward this house; Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger called to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have built, is called by thy name.”

Migrants being told to leave Israel have more than 40 days to perform this sacred exercise in Jerusalem and I will urge them to go and pray at the Western Wall and leave Israel in peace like Jersey shared his testimony at the beginning of this article.