Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday cancelled an agreement with the UN refugee agency to relocate thousands of African asylum seekers to Western countries.

The UN urged the prime minister to sign the deal as an alternative to a controversial program that would send refugees to African countries. Netanyahu backed out of the agreement because of mounting pressure from right-wing politicians to expel the migrants. He had originally agreed to the deal during a televised address on Monday. Netanyahu said he was suspending it until a further review. About 37,000 African migrants now live in Israel.