U.K., Germany, France Resettle Refugees but Wealthy Middle East Nations Say No
Prime Minister David Cameron announced a plan on Monday for the U.K. to resettle up to 20,000 Syrian refugees and grant them “humanitarian protection” visas, CBS News reports. Cameron says the initiative will take place over the next five years and assist thousands residing in refugee camps in Turkey, Jordan, and Syria.
Meanwhile, an estimated 20,000 refugees entered Germany this past weekend alone. Chancellor Angela Merkel publicly implored fellow E.U. countries to make resources available as well. She has also collaborated with France to begin distributing the economic and infrastructural resettlement load more evenly. TIME reports French President François Hollande also announced his country will accept 24,000 refugees, the acceptance will be immediate. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his country is looking into aid packages for North African nations, but that its size and limited internal resources prohibit it from sheltering people.
In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, both Gulf states flush with oil-funded wealth and resources, have notably shied away from directly assisting the refugee resettlement. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have opted for financial aid and they are not offering asylum or possible citizenship while their poorer neighbors, Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon, are housing more than two million refugees and migrants……
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Photo: AP Photo/Jens Meyer