Thousands of African asylum seekers and their local supporters are protesting against an Israeli plan to deport them.
The Israeli government has given the migrants until April 1 to leave the country for an unnamed African destination in exchange for $3,500 and a plane ticket, or they will be incarcerated indefinitely.
The Africans, nearly all from dictatorial Eritrea and war-torn Sudan, say they feel great appreciation for Israel, coupled with dread over the looming expulsions.
Israel considers the vast majority of the nearly 40,000 migrants to be job seekers and says it has no legal obligation to keep them. Critics have called the government plan unethical and a stain on Israel’s image as a refuge for Jewish migrants.
Organizers say some 15,000 gathered in south Tel Aviv Saturday.
(AP)
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2 Responses
Let them go live in countries with their Muslim brothers, not in Israel!
While there is a certain logic in granting assylum to Africans fleeing countries ruled by fanatic Muslims (who probably are the mainstream of Islam, though that is a politically incorrect observation), the ones being expelled are not in that category. Given the the creation of a Jewish state involved expelling a large number of Palestinian Muslims (whose ancestors had lived in Israel for centuries at least, though DNA suggest deeper roots), there is the problem of Israel accepting African migrants while expelling those with local roots.