The Israeli Knesset has approved the draft of a new law, which will make infiltration into the country a criminal offence, punishable by up to seven years in prison. It will also apply to refugees and asylum-seekers.
The draft was passed on 19 May by a majority of 21 legislators to one opponent, DovHanin from the Hadash party, who questioned the logic of sentencing refugees to prison for trying to flee persecution.
If it passes the next stage of legislation, the bill will allow the Israeli authorities to imprison people who enter the country, generally through the porous border with Egypt, for up to five years. If the "infiltrators", as they are called, are from "enemy states", which includes countries such as Sudan, the punishment will be seven years.
Sudanese make up a large portion of the total refugee population in Israel, including hundreds from the war-torn Darfur region.
More than 8,500 refugees and asylum-seekers are said to have entered Israel in the past three years, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and aid organisations, with a noticeable increase in the past year.
The law would also standardise the concept of "hot return", which allows the police or military to immediately deport asylum seekers caught illegally crossing the border, without the chance to make an asylum claim or consult a lawyer.
Rights groups and the UNHCR have expressed concern over the policy, because people being deported could potentially face danger in their home country.
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