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The mass deportation was set to begin April 1, but Netanyahu said Monday the plan was called off when it became clear the intended country would not be able to handle absorbing the deported population.

Now, Netanyahu said he will consult further on the plan.

Jean-Nicolas Beuze, the UN refugee agency’s representative in Canada, said he had no comment on the news that Netanyahu had changed his mind.

Earlier Monday, he said discussions were ongoing with countries that could resettle asylum seekers.

It remained unclear whether the news from Israel would have meant Canada would be welcoming a higher number of refugees than originally planned.

A spokesman for Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said Canada is currently focusing its efforts on clearing the backlog of Eritrean and Sudanese refugees in Israel who are already expected to be resettled here through the private sponsorship program.

“That’s our focus at the moment,” Hursh Jaswal said Monday.

There were 1,845 applications in process as of Dec. 31.

He noted that in February, the federal government reached a deal with Israel not to deport or detain any asylum seekers whose applications to be resettled in Canada through the private sponsorship of refugees program are making their way through the system.

He said Ottawa also increased its resources to processing those applications through its office in Tel Aviv.

“We continue to engage with private sponsors in Canada whose applications may be affected by this situation,” Jaswal added in an emailed statement.