![Plitim1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Plitim1.jpg)
African immigration to Israel is the international movement to
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
from
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
of people that are not natives or do not possess Israeli
citizenship
Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection".
Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...
in order to settle or reside there.
This phenomenon began in the second half of the 2000s, when a large number of people from Africa entered Israel, mainly through the then-lightly fenced
border between Israel and Egypt in the
Sinai Peninsula
The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai (now usually ) (, , cop, Ⲥⲓⲛⲁ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is a ...
. According to the data of the
Israeli Interior Ministry
The Ministry of Interior ( he, משרד הפנים, ''Misrad HaPnim''; ar, وزارة الداخلية) in the State of Israel is one of the government offices that is responsible for local government, citizenship and residency, identity cards ...
, 26,635 people arrived illegally in this way by July 2010,
and over 55,000 by January 2012. In an attempt to curb the influx, Israel constructed the
Egypt–Israel barrier
The Egypt–Israel barrier or Egypt–Israel border fence ( he, שְׁעוֹן הַחוֹל, translit=Shaʽon HaḤol, lit=sand clock) refers to a separation barrier built by Israel along its border with Egypt. Initial construction on the ...
.
[Butcher, Tim]
Sharon presses for fence across Sinai
''The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
'', 7 December 2005. Since its completion in December 2013, the barrier has almost completely stopped the immigration of Africans into Israel across the Sinai border.
[Israel Completes 245 Mile, NIS 1.6 Billion Security Fence Along Sinai Border with Egypt](_blank)
Algemeiner, 4 December 2013 2:58 PM
As of January 2018, according to the Population and Immigration Authority (PIBA) there were 37,288 African migrants in Israel, not including children born to migrants in Israel.
Most African migrants are regarded to be legitimate asylum seekers by human rights organizations, but the Israeli government says most of them are job seeking work-migrants.
Many of the migrants seek asylum status under the United Nations
Convention relating to the Status of Refugees
The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, also known as the 1951 Refugee Convention or the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951, is a United Nations multilateral treaty that defines who a refugee is, and sets out the rights of individua ...
. Citizens of
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopi ...
and
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
cannot be forcibly deported from Israel. Under international law, Eritrea citizens (who, since 2009, form the majority of the undocumented workers in Israel) cannot be deported due to the opinion of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...
(UNHCR) that Eritrea has a difficult internal situation and a forced recruitment and therefore the Eritrean immigrants are defined as a "temporary humanitarian protection group". Israeli authorities have stated that they could not deport Sudanese directly back to Sudan because Israel has no diplomatic ties to Sudan.
Accordingly, the Israeli authorities grant temporary residence through "conditional release permits" which must be renewed every one to four months, depending on the discretion of the individual immigration official.
Various authorities in Israel estimate that 80–90% of the undocumented workers live primarily in two centers: more than 60% in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
and more than 20%
Eilat
Eilat ( , ; he, אֵילַת ; ar, إِيلَات, Īlāt) is Israel's southernmost city, with a population of , a busy port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on what is known in Israel as the Gulf of Eilat and in Jorda ...
, with a few in
Ashdod
Ashdod ( he, ''ʾašdōḏ''; ar, أسدود or إسدود ''ʾisdūd'' or '' ʾasdūd'' ; Philistine: 𐤀𐤔𐤃𐤃 *''ʾašdūd'') is the sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District, it lies on the Mediterran ...
,
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
and
Arad.
Legal status
According to the government, the majority of the migrants are seeking economic opportunity. This is not the case among Israel's allies such as the United States, where the vast majority of Eritrean and Sudanese applicants are accepted as refugees. Once in Israel, African migrants have sought refugee status for fleeing forced, open-ended conscription in Eritrea or ethnic cleansing in the Darfur region of Sudan, but the government of Israel maintains that these areas merely have a poor human rights record, which does not automatically entitle one to asylum. To qualify, applicants must establish that they face the risk of personal harm or persecution if they return to their country. The
Interior Ministry
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministr ...
has failed to review the vast majority of asylum requests.
Most migrants request refugee status after arriving in Israel, in accordance with the United Nations's
Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, also known as the 1951 Refugee Convention or the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951, is a United Nations multilateral treaty that defines who a refugee is, and sets out the rights of individua ...
. Israel does not review the status of the individual immigrants originating from Eritrea or Sudan, who constitute about 83% of the total people coming to Israel across the Egyptian border, and instead automatically grants them a
"temporary protection group" status. This status allows these people to have temporary residence right within Israel, which must be renew every 3 months; usually this also means that they would be eligible for a
work permit in Israel. In the past Israel also granted an automatic "temporary protection group" status to all citizens of the
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre i ...
and
South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of th ...
, although since then the validity of this status has expired. Regarding the other asylum requests filed by citizens of other countries and examined individually, the Interior Ministry stated that only a fraction of them were actually eligible for refugee status.
History
The Israeli government originally tolerated the new arrivals from Africa. It allowed their entry and many migrants found menial jobs in hotels and restaurants. But after their numbers swelled, concerns were raised.
In the second half of the 2000s, there was a significant increase in the number of undocumented workers who immigrated from Africa to Israel by crossing the Egyptian border. In 2006 about 1,000 undocumented workers were detained; in 2007 about 5,000 were detained; in 2008 about 8,700 were detained; and in 2009 about 5,000 were detained. In the first half of 2010 the migration rate even further increased in the first seven months when over 8,000 undocumented workers were caught.
The total number of undocumented workers is clearly greater than these figures, because many were not apprehended. The early wave of undocumented workers came mainly from Sudan, while in 2009 the majority of the immigrants were from
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopi ...
.
In early May 2010, it was estimated that 24,339 undocumented workers resided in Israel, of whom the number of Sudanese and Eritrean refugees who are not deportable under
international law
International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...
was 18,959: 5,649 Sudanese and 13,310 Eritreans. 16,766 of them received a special visa (ס 2א 5) granted to illegal immigrants who are non-deportable
asylum seekers. Officially, the visa allows them only to stay in the country, but in practice the state also allows the refugees to work and avoids imposing fines on the Israeli employers who employ them. This special visa requires renewal every three months. The Israeli immigration police patrols the neighborhoods of south
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
regularly and arrests asylum seekers who do not carry a valid visa; the punishment can be one to three months in prison.
141 immigrants, mostly from
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
, received
refugee status
A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution. .
According to the IDF's Operations Division in 2008, most of the countries from where the illegal immigrants came are (in descending order):
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopi ...
,
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
,
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
,
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre i ...
and
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. Most of the illegal immigrants (85%) were men.
Most migrants initially arrive in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
, and then pay sums of up to twenty thousand dollars for
Bedouin smugglers to transfer them to the border between Egypt and Israel. There have been cases of abuse against male and female migrants committed by the Bedouin smugglers, including
rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...
, kidnapping for ransom,
trafficking
Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.
There are various ...
, and murder. Both male and female migrants have also reported many cases of sexual and physical assault, rape, and the forced removal of bodily organs (kidneys, for example). Another danger for the migrants includes the Egyptian army policy shooting at them in order to prevent crossing the Egypt/Israel border.
To contain the illegal entry of persons, construction of the
Egypt–Israel barrier
The Egypt–Israel barrier or Egypt–Israel border fence ( he, שְׁעוֹן הַחוֹל, translit=Shaʽon HaḤol, lit=sand clock) refers to a separation barrier built by Israel along its border with Egypt. Initial construction on the ...
commenced in 2012 and was completed in 2015. 9,570 citizens of various African countries entered Israel illegally in the first half of 2012, while only 34 did the same in the first six months of 2013, after construction of the main section of the barrier was completed. After the entire fence was completed, the number of migrant crossings had dropped to 16 in 2016.
Demographics
As of April 2012, 59,858 illegal immigrants who were never imprisoned in detention facilities have illegally entered into Israel (in August 2010 the number of the imprisoned was 1,900). Several thousand of them did not end up staying in the country. The Israeli department of immigration does not keep continuous supervision over their place of residence but, according to estimates based on data from the Israeli police, the local authorities and the aid organizations, approximately 34,000 illegal immigrants originated from
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopi ...
, about 15,000 originated from
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
and 10,000 originated from other countries. The Israeli
Administration of Border Crossings, Population and Immigration does not keep detailed documentation regarding their place of residence, but according to estimates from 2011, which are based on data from the Israeli police, the local authorities and the NGOs, circa 15,000–17,000 illegal immigrants lived in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
(mainly in southern Tel Aviv, though the number also includes illegal immigrants living in
Bat Yam
Bat Yam ( he, בַּת יָם or ) is a city located on Israel's Mediterranean Sea coast, on the Central Coastal Plain just south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area and the Tel Aviv District. In 2020, it had a population ...
and
Bnei Brak) and 4,000–8,000 living in
Eilat
Eilat ( , ; he, אֵילַת ; ar, إِيلَات, Īlāt) is Israel's southernmost city, with a population of , a busy port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on what is known in Israel as the Gulf of Eilat and in Jorda ...
. While the estimates in
Ashdod
Ashdod ( he, ''ʾašdōḏ''; ar, أسدود or إسدود ''ʾisdūd'' or '' ʾasdūd'' ; Philistine: 𐤀𐤔𐤃𐤃 *''ʾašdūd'') is the sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District, it lies on the Mediterran ...
range from 1,500 to 2,000 illegal immigrants, in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
range from 1,000 to 8,000 illegal immigrants, and in
Arad range from 400 to 600 illegal immigrants. As of 2017, only 39,274 of those who entered the country remain.
Criminal activity
In December 2010, Police commissioner
Dudi Cohen Dudi may refer to:
As a given name
Dudi is a diminutive of Dawid, the Hebrew form of David.
*Dudi Appleton, American journalist
*Dudi Fadlon, Israeli footballer
*Dudi Maia Rosa, Brazilian artist
*Dudi Sela (born 1985), Israeli tennis player
As a ...
stated that despite a decline in
robberies
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...
in the general population, there was a dramatic increase in this type of crime among the illegal immigrants. According to the research department of the Israel Police and Israel's foreign immigrants' crime is characterized by predominantly sectoral internal crime, in which a gun is not reported, and illegal immigrants generally have no interest in complaining to the police.
Due to an increase in criminal acts and the feeling of insecurity among the residents of southern Tel Aviv, the Israeli police established a new station near the New central bus station and the Shapira neighborhood. The station includes approximately 100 police officers and is expected to accommodate about 150 police officers. According to the data of the Israeli Police, which was presented to the Knesset in March 2012, from 2007 there was a steady increase in the involvement in crime of the illegal immigrants, both due to the significant increase in their numbers and for various other reasons. In 2011, 1,200
criminal cases were opened against illegal immigrants from Africa, half of them in the Tel Aviv district. This is an increase of 54% in comparison to the previous year.
Massive protests supporting the immigrants and their remaining in Israel have taken place simultaneous with other Israelis calling for their deportation. Crime is a major factor for residents who call for the government to repatriate the migrants. Examples include the murder of 68-year-old Esther Galili who was beaten to death near her South Tel Aviv home in 2010 by a drunken Sudanese migrant. Her daughter Corine Galili is now an activist with the Residents of Southern Tel Aviv council. Another example includes the rape of 83-year-old Ester Nahman by a 17-year-old Eritrean migrant in 2013. There has also been a concern of crimes committed by migrants against migrants including rape and murder. According to David Filo, the police commander in charge of the district that includes south Tel Aviv, the local police station went from only four or five officers before the wave of immigrants, to more than 200 as of 2017 on duty around the clock due to the increase in crime. He stated that statistics indicate most of the crimes reported are between immigrants and include theft, drug sales and domestic violence.
Israeli police reported experiencing difficulties dealing with criminal cases involving illegal African immigrants due to the lack of interpreters proficient in the
Tigrinya language
(; also spelled Tigrigna) is an Ethio-Semitic language commonly spoken Eritrea and in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region by the Tigrinya and Tigrayan peoples. It is also spoken by the global diaspora of these regions.
History and literature ...
spoken in
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopi ...
. The Israeli legal system has encountered a similar problems.
In her ruling on the
Holot "open detention facility", Israeli Supreme Court justice
Edna Arbel
Edna Arbel ( he, עדנה ארבל; born June 22, 1944) is an Israeli lawyer who was a justice on the Supreme Court of Israel from May 2004 to June 2014. She is a native of Jerusalem.
Legal career
In 1984, Arbel was appointed District Attorney ...
stated that whereas studies that show the level of crime committed by infiltrators is lower than in society in general, the distress of residents of South Tel Aviv should not be underestimated.
Handling of asylum seekers
![Holot detention center](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Holot_detention_center.jpg)
In 2010, Israel began building a
barrier
A barrier or barricade is a physical structure which blocks or impedes something.
Barrier may also refer to:
Places
* Barrier, Kentucky, a community in the United States
* Barrier, Voerendaal, a place in the municipality of Voerendaal, Netherl ...
along sections of its border with Egypt to curb the influx of
refugees from African countries. Construction was completed in January 2013. 230 km of fence have been built. While 9,570 citizens of various African countries entered Israel illegally in the first half of 2012, only 34 did the same in the first six months of 2013, after construction of the barrier was completed. It represents a decrease of over 99%.
Israel also began deporting thousands of illegal immigrants residing in the country. In 2017 Israel announced its intent to deport thousands of illegal immigrants by March 2018. African migrants are told to choose between returning to their home countries or being sent to third world countries, that are rumored to be Rwanda and Uganda. The Israeli Knesset announced that illegal immigrants who do not leave by March 2018 will be jailed until they leave Israel.
In 2012, the
Knesset
The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...
passed an "anti-infiltration law." Advocates like MK
Michal Rozin
Michal Rozin (, born 25 June 1969) is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Meretz from 2021 until 2022 and also served between 2013 and 2019.
Political career
Rozin was elected to the Knesset in 2013 on the Meretz lis ...
visited Saharonim and said that migrants received adequate food and medical care and were not mistreated, but said that sending migrants there was inhumane. However, conditions for many refugees elsewhere in the region are worse.
After the
Supreme Court of Israel declared that the long-term custody of migrants in Sahronim was unconstitutional, the government opened , an open detention center, in December 2013. The 1,800 residents at Holot are allowed to leave but are required to sign in once a day and return for an evening curfew.
Israeli courts temporarily cancelled the summonses of African migrants to the Holot facility, and froze others until appeals can be heard against them. Judges also criticized the summons process, saying there exist fundamental problems, including the failure to examine individual circumstances and the lack of hearings for illegal immigrants. The government stated that hearings were not necessary because ordering the migrants to travel to Holot does not violate their human rights.
On 22 September 2014, the High Court struck down the anti-infiltration law (under which the Holot facility operated) and ordered the state to close Holot within 90 days.
The court addressed two measures: (1) whether to limit the detention of migrants, and (2) whether to close Holot. On both measures, the court sided with the petitioners (the
Association for Civil Rights in Israel
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) (Hebrew: ; Arabic: ) was created in 1972 as an independent, non-partisan not-for-profit organization with the mission of protecting human rights and civil rights in Israel and the territories u ...
, the
Hotline for Refugees and Migrants
The Hotline for Refugees and Migrants (Hotline) is a human rights organization that utilizes direct service provision, litigation, and advocacy to uphold the rights of refugees, migrant workers, and survivors of human trafficking in Israel. In Heb ...
, ASSAF,
Kav LaOved
Kav La'Oved ( he, קו לעובד "Worker's Hotline") is an Israeli non-profit association, founded in 1991. Its objective is to protect the rights of disadvantaged workers. It provides information, advice, and legal representation for the most dep ...
,
Physicians for Human Rights–Israel
Physicians for Human Rights–Israel (PHR-I or PHR-IL; ) is a non-governmental, non-profit, human rights organization based in Jaffa. Physicians for Human Rights–Israel was founded in 1988 with the goal of promoting "a just society where the ...
, and
Amnesty International–Israel). The ruling said that conditions at the facility were an "unbearable violation of
heirbasic rights, first and foremost the right to freedom and the right to dignity".
[ Illegal migrants can no longer be detained for up to a year without trial, however detention continues within legal boundaries.] The detentions in Holot have continued, with illegal immigrants being detained for a year and then being prevented from living in Tel Aviv and Eilat upon their release. In November 2017, the Israeli government announced that it would be closing the Holot Detention Center within four months.
A law passed in 2017 required that employers impose a 20 per cent deduction on the wages of workers who entered the country illegally from Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
. The deducted money is deposited in a fund along with an employer paid tax
A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...
of 16 per cent. This money is accessible to workers only when they leave Israel.
In April 2018, Israel reached an agreement with the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
to expel around 16,000 African migrants to Western countries in exchange for granting temporary residency in Israel to the same number. Shortly after, however, the deal was cancelled by the Israeli government.
Aid organizations
Israel has a number of organizations focused legal aid, including the Hotline for Refugees and Migrants
The Hotline for Refugees and Migrants (Hotline) is a human rights organization that utilizes direct service provision, litigation, and advocacy to uphold the rights of refugees, migrant workers, and survivors of human trafficking in Israel. In Heb ...
, ASSAF, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, African Refugees Development Center The African Refugee Development Center (ARDC), founded in 2004, is a non-governmental organization founded by African asylum seekers and Israeli citizens in order to assist African asylum seekers in Israel. Its goals include:
* Promote humane, fair ...
and Association for Civil Rights in Israel
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) (Hebrew: ; Arabic: ) was created in 1972 as an independent, non-partisan not-for-profit organization with the mission of protecting human rights and civil rights in Israel and the territories u ...
. The secular Jewish organization Bina, located in south Tel Aviv, has helped asylum seekers as well as Israeli citizens understand refugee rights, and has undertaken advocacy and educational activities including frequent trips for Israelis to visit the Holot Detention Center. Most of these organization are funded by the New Israel Fund
The New Israel Fund (NIF) is a United States-based non-profit NGO established in 1979. It describes its objective as social justice and equality for all Israelis. The New Israel Fund says it has provided $300 million to over 900 Israeli civil so ...
. Relief organizations have been involved in discussions held in Knesset committees on this issue and have submitted a petition against the measures the state has taken to put a halt to the phenomenon of immigration.
unitaf creates early-childhood programs for refugee and stateless children living in Israel; the President of the board is Aliza Olmert
Aliza Olmert ( he, עליזה אולמרט; née Richter; born 1946) is an Israeli artist, photographer, author and social worker. She is married to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Biography
Aliza Olmert was born in a displaced ...
Response in Israel
Israel was founded in the wake of the Holocaust and has provided refuge to Jews fleeing oppression around the world. On one hand, many Israelis feel Israel has a special responsibility to assist refugees in such dire conditions.
Israeli reaction to African migrants has been mixed. In 2010, Israelis protested the construction of the Holot detention facility built to detain illegal immigrants, stating that its construction goes against Human Rights values. At the same time, residents of South Tel Aviv demonstrated against the presence of foreigners living in their communities. In 2012, nearly 1,000 Israelis, mostly from neighborhoods in South Tel Aviv staged a protest against illegal immigrants, joined by Member of Knesset Miri Regev
Miriam "Miri" Regev ( he, מִרְיָם "מִירִי" רֶגֶב; born Miriam Siboni on 26 May 1965) is an Israeli politician and a former brigadier-general in the Israel Defense Forces, in which she served as IDF Spokeswoman. She currently s ...
, they asked the government for deportation and expulsion of migrants from Africa. Regev stated "the Sudanese were a cancer in our body." This protest led to destruction of property and businesses owned by Sudanese and Eritrean people as well as violence. In 2015, an immigrant from Eritrea, Habtom Zarhum, was beaten to death by a mob after being misidentified as the perpetrator in a terrorist attack at the Beersheva bus station.
Many Israelis have continued to show their support over the years for the community. Refugee Seders have been held each year during the Jewish holiday of Passover
Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or spring. ...
. Support is also demonstrated through the work of non-profit organizations, includin
Kav LaOved (Worker's Hotline
ARDC
ASSAF
In late 2017, early 2018, North American Jewish organizations joined with Israeli NGOs to decry Israel's decision to close Holot and deport asylum seekers.
Israeli demographer Arnon Soffer claims that from a security perspective, the migrants may serve as informant or as operatives of terrorist organizations. Socially, he claims that they are contributing to congestion in the cities and a rise in crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...
. From the demographic perspective, he perceives them as a demographic threat The concept of demographic threat (or demographic bomb) is a term used in political conversation or demography to refer to population increases from within a minority ethnic or religious group in a given country that is perceived as threatening to t ...
to the Jewish majority. According to Sofer, failing to stop the illegal immigration waves at an early stage will only lead to much larger waves in the future.
Israeli economic commentator Nehemiah Shtrasler estimated that illegal immigrants take the places of weaker manual workers, causing loss of jobs and a reduction in the wages. He also claimed that they burden the health care, welfare and education systems. "We would never be able to raise the standard of living of the needy and reduce the gaps, if we keep on absorbing more and more destitute people."
Israeli MK Ya'akov Katz, who headed the government committee on issue of illegal asylum seekers, proposed establishing a city near the Egyptian border where the immigrants would live until deportation.
In December 2011, Mayor of Tel Aviv Ron Huldai
Ron Huldai ( he, רוֹן חוּלְדָּאִי; born 26 August 1944) is the current Mayor of Tel Aviv, since 1998. Before he entered his role as Tel Aviv mayor, Huldai served as a fighter pilot and a commander in the Israeli Air Force. After ...
demanded that the government take "immediate emergency action."
In mid-2010, a demonstration was held in Eilat against the inaction of the Israeli government. Residents claimed that they were afraid to walk outside at night in certain neighborhoods. In the Shapira and Kiryat Shalom neighborhoods in southern Tel Aviv a number of real estate agents stated that they would not rent apartments to illegal immigrants.
On 23 May 2012 a demonstration of over a thousand people was held in the Hatikva Quarter
Hatikva Quarter ( he, שכונת התקווה, ''Shkhunat Hatikva'') is a working class neighbourhood in southeastern Tel Aviv, Israel. History
The quarter was founded in 1935, named for " Mount Hope" ("Har HaTikva" in Hebrew), a farm built in 185 ...
. Miri Regev
Miriam "Miri" Regev ( he, מִרְיָם "מִירִי" רֶגֶב; born Miriam Siboni on 26 May 1965) is an Israeli politician and a former brigadier-general in the Israel Defense Forces, in which she served as IDF Spokeswoman. She currently s ...
, Danny Danon
Danny Danon (Hebrew: דני דנון, born 8 May 1971) served as Israel’s 17th Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and currently serves as Chairman of the World Likud. Danon previously served as a member of the Knesset from the Liku ...
, Ronit Tirosh
Ronit Tirosh ( he, רונית תירוש, born 8 December 1953) is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Kadima between 2006 and 2013.
Biography
Born in Tel Aviv, Tirosh gained a BA in Arabic Literature and General Philo ...
and Michael Ben-Ari
Michael Ben-Ari ( he, מיכאל בן ארי, born 12 October 1963) is an Israeli politician, and former member of the Knesset. During the 18th Knesset, Ben Ari was a member of the National Union party, until it broke up as elections for the 1 ...
spoke speeches. Later on the protest turned violent. President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Shimon Peres issued a condemnation of the violent words and actions against the African migrant workers, calling to refrain from racism and incitement, saying: "Hatred of foreigners contradicts the fundamental principles of Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...
. I am well aware of the difficulties faced by the residents of south Tel Aviv nd other similar areas but violence is not the solution."
In a Channel 2 interview in November 2013, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai scoffed at government policy, saying, "Can 50,000 people be a demographic threat? That's a mockery. ... The truth is they will remain here. They are human beings and I must take care of them."
Regular demonstrations and rallies supporting the refugees have also been held. On 28 December 2013 thousands have protested in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
against detention of asylum seekers from Sudan and Eritrea. The protesters, marched from Levinsky Park in South Tel Aviv to city center, decrying the detention without trial of African refugees in the Saharonim and Holot detention facilities. Migrants have reportedly said to fear for their life should they return to their home countries.
On 15 January 2014, the Knesset Committee on Foreign Workers met to discuss the Immigration and Border Authority policy and its impact on the business sector. African migrants were present and participated in the Knesset meeting. They were supported by MK Michal Rozin
Michal Rozin (, born 25 June 1969) is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Meretz from 2021 until 2022 and also served between 2013 and 2019.
Political career
Rozin was elected to the Knesset in 2013 on the Meretz lis ...
of Meretz.
In April 2014, activists organized a Passover seder with asylum seekers at the Holot facility to recall the Passover
Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or spring. ...
story and call attention to the plight of the migrants. Similar seders were held in support of the migrants in Tel Aviv and Washington. Similar events took place in 2015 and 2016.
International response
The Maryland-based refugee rights organization HIAS
HIAS (founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) is a Jewish American nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees. It was originally established in 1881 to aid Jewish refugees. In 1975, the State Department ...
, whose Israeli branch has been actively assisting African asylum seekers, has vocally opposed the Israeli government's policy toward the asylum seekers and has called on Israel to evaluate their refugee status claims in accordance with international law. The Los Angeles-based organization StandWithUs, whose mission is "supporting Israel around the world – through education and fighting anti-Semitism", states that "most of the migrants came to Israel seeking work opportunities, not as refugees escaping war"; as StandWithUs elaborates, "unlike refugees who are fleeing war or persecution, economic migrants leave their countries in search of better work opportunities." However, globally, national authorities have found asylum seekers from Eritrea deserving of refugee status in 84% of applications, and have granted refugee status to Sudanese asylum seekers 56% of the time, whereas Israel has only granted 1% of asylum petitions from these asylum seekers. Mandatory lifetime conscription is among the human-rights abuses in Eritrea from which they may be fleeing. The Rabbinical Assembly
The Rabbinical Assembly (RA) is the international association of Conservative rabbis. The RA was founded in 1901 to shape the ideology, programs, and practices of the Conservative movement. It publishes prayerbooks and books of Jewish interest, a ...
, the clergy organization of Conservative Judaism, passed a resolution in 2016 stating that "Israel’s Ministry of the Interior has been very reluctant to grant refugee status to bona fide asylum seekers" and calling on Israel to do so. The rabbinic human-rights organization T’ruah, based in New York, has made it a priority to encourage Israel to evaluate all asylum seekers' claims fairly.
See also
* African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem
* Demographics of Israel
* Geography of Israel
The geography of Israel is very diverse, with desert conditions in the south, and snow-capped mountains in the north. Israel is located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea in Western Asia. It is bounded to the north by Lebanon, the nort ...
* Illegal immigration
* Refugee kidnappings in Sinai
References
External links
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{{African diaspora
African diaspora in Israel
Demographics of Israel
Economy of Israel
Law of Israel
People of African descent
2000s in Israel
2010s in Israel
Refugees in Israel