This is an entry from: LIVE BLOG: Refugee crisis in Europe
Israeli opposition leader: Israel must take in Syrian refugees
5 September 2015 13:56 BST
The leader of Israel's main opposition party, Isaac Herzog, has called for Israel to take in Syrian refugees, following discussion he had with a Syrian opposition leader.
“I spoke with the head of the Syrian opposition [in Europe], Kamel Labwani. It is incumbent on Israel to take in refugees from the war and push for the establishment of an urgent international conference on the issue,” the Zionist Union leader said, according to Israel's Channel 10.
“Jews cannot be apathetic when hundreds of thousands of refugees are searching for safe haven.”
Israel, which has never established diplomatic ties with Syria, has so far not taken in any Syrian refugees and the topic is seen as contentious in Israeli society.