Jerusalem - Israeli President Shimon Peres made a last-ditch plea Thursday to Interior Minister Eli Yishai, asking him not to go ahead with plans to deport the children of foreign workers, saying Israel could not remain "apathetic" to their fate.

"Who better than a people who have suffered bitterly in exile to show sensitivity to fellowman living in its midst," the president wrote in a letter to Yishai, leader of the ultra-religious Shas party.

The expulsion of the 1,200 children of illegal foreign workers or refugees was set to begin on Sunday, but Israel Radio reported that it has been delayed and Yishai will chair a meeting to try and find a solution to the dilemma.

"We are aware of the complexity of the issue," Peres said in his letter, and added that "it would be prudent to find a fair solution, in the spirit of the tradition of our people, and within the confines of the law."

He said he recently visited a school in south Tel Aviv where many of the children of foreign workers study.

"I felt from them an Israeliness which they were born with, I felt their love for Israel," he said.

"We cannot remain apathetic to the fate of these children and teenagers," the president added.(dpa)