By a vote of 53-10, the Knesset has approved the first reading of a bill to extend arrangements for the handling of infiltration by three years. According to the proposal, the Holot detention facility will close in three months.
The measure amends the definition of the term "infiltrator" in the temporary provisions, which are intended to increase enforcement against infiltrators. According to the legislation's explanatory notes, there are currently some 40,000 illegal infiltrators (not including children born in Israel) from African countries, who at this time are subject to a temporary policy of non-deportation."