Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled on Thursday that a law meant to encourage asylum seekers to leave the country by requiring them to deposit 20 percent of their monthly salary into a locked account is unconstitutional, and therefore null and void.
Under the law, which took effect in May 2017, asylum seekers can withdraw this money only when they leave Israel.
The petitioners, who included both asylum seekers and rights organizations, argued that the law seriously eats into asylum seekers’ already low salaries and thereby prevents them from supporting themselves.
