18 June 2012

Update: Escalating measures against asylum-seekers and refugees in Israel

This document provides supplementary information to the April 2012 briefing note entitled
'Israeli treatment of African asylum-seekers and refugees arriving in Israel via Sinai', and its
accompanying materials.
The past two months have witnessed a marked escalation in measures taken by Israeli
authorities against African refugees and asylum seekers in Israel, accompanied by a sharp
rise in racially-motivated street violence and public incitement against them. These
include, in chronological order:

 27 April 2012: Street violence: Molotov cocktails were thrown into homes of African
refugees in South Tel Aviv and in a public park in which homeless refugees sleep, marking an
increase in racially-motivated violence against this community.
 23 May 2012: Incitement by politicians and escalating violence: A demonstration
organised by right wing groups against refugees in a poorer neighbourhood of south Tel Aviv
was attended by Members of Knesset from the ruling Likud party and from the extreme-
right National Union party. At the rally, MK Miri Regev (Likud) said 'the Sudanese are a
cancer in our body'. The demonstration was followed by violent attacks by several hundred
protesters against African passersby. Vioence included beatings, forcefully stopping a shuttle
taxi and pulling out African migrants, smashing car- and shop- windows serving the migrant
community, and arson. Following the demonstration, Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai also
claimed that refugees were carriers of disease and that Israeli women were being raped by
African men.
 30 May 2012: Government preparations for deportation to South Sudan: Israel's
Attorney General Yehud Weinstein provides an opinion to the Jerusalem District Court that
there is 'no reason' to prevent deportation of South Sudanese to their countries of origin,
despite a petition by five human rights groups to prevent such a deportation from
happening.
 05 June 2012: Accelerated procedure for mass detention: Prime Minister
Netanyahu orders the Defense Ministry to erect a 'tent city' with a detention capacity of up
to 25,000 people, in order to hold what he termed 'infiltrators' prior to deportation.
 07 June 2012: Judicial support for deportation: The Jerusalem District Court gives its
ruling regarding South Sudanese asylum seekers, according to which South Sudanese
asylum-seekers may be deported. The ruling rejected a petition by human rights groups
against a decision by the Israeli Minister of Interior, Mr. Eli Yishai, to end the collective
humanitarian protection for this group and start procedures for their expulsion. Yishai
welcomed the ruling, calling a first step in deportation of other groups from Sudan and
Eritrea.
 07 June 2012: Mass detention facility commences construction: The Ministry of
Defence declares commences construction works on the 'tent city' detention facility
requested by Netanyahu; the Immigration Authority announces a one-week period of
'voluntary repatriation' to be followed by forced expulsion to South Sudan.
 10 June 2012: Mass arrests of South Sudanese asylum seekers: Israeli immigration
police commence arrests of South Sudanese in Eilat and central Israel. The Israeli
government invites South Sudanese officials to Israel to help coordinate the deportations. As
of 15 June, some 300 have already been arrested.
 10 June 2012: Government legislation proposed to criminalise assistance to asylum
seekers: The Ministerial Committee on legislation voted in favour of a proposed government
bill to increase penalties for Israelis found guilty of employing, harboring or transporting
migrants or Palestinians illegally residing in Israel, raising the maximum penalty to a five-year
jail sentence and imposing a NIS 5 million fine on persons found assisting migrants. The bill is
slated to be voted on by the Knesset assembly in the coming days.

The current escalation has resulted in fear and panic among asylum seekers in Israel. There
is urgent need for intervention on their behalf, insisting on the rights of asylum seekers to
individual examination of their claims, as well as to basic protection and services while
residing in Israel.

For sources and recent media coverage on some of these issues please see:
http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/373/134.html
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/demonstrators -attack-african-migrants-in-
south-tel-aviv-1.432262
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/pm-orders-defense-ministry-to-erect-tent-
cities-for-african-migrants-1.434415?localLinksEnabled=false
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-announces-plan-to-erect-
20-000-tents-for-african-migrants-1.435060
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israel-cleared-to-deport-south-sudan-
nationals-court-says-1.434929
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israel-begins-deportation-of-south-
sudanese-migrants-1.435523
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy -defense/south-sudanese-delegation-to-
help-repatriate-illegal-migrants-1.436032
Sources compiled by:
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel. For further details contact Shahar Shoham,
shahar@phr.org.il or Ran Cohen, ran@phr.org.il or Hadas Ziv, hadas@phr.org.il
Hotline for Migrant Workers. For further details contact Karin Keil, karin@hotline.org.il