Hunger Strike by Africans in Israel for harassment

In her first article for OBV, Kei-Retta Farrell highlights the plight of Africans in Israel. It's a very good piece of writing  and a news story we should be awar of - SimonWoolley.

Last week hundreds of African immigrants in Israel began a hunger strike, the strike came as a direct result of the Israeli authorities forcing them to break the demonstration they had been staging at the Israeli – Egyptian border, a point of entry for many immigrants. The demonstrations have marked the first time this community has made its presence known in Israel.

The UN estimates that there are around 53,000 refugees and Asylum seekers in Israel, with 92 percent pouring in from the conflict-ridden countries of Sudan and Eritrea. For years Israel has struggled with how to deal with such high levels of migration. Having one of the lowest rates of refugee recognition in the world, only approving 26 out of 17,194 applications for asylum from 2009-2013

Conservatives view the migrants as “infiltrators”, President Benjamin Netanyahu, defended the actions stating that “the African’s non-Jewishness threatens the social fabric … and our national identity”. Last year Israel launched a new clampdown strategy on all African Immigrants, by building a high tech 90 fence on the border to stop any further inflow of asylum seekers.

Those already living in Israel were rounded up and placed indefinitely in containment centres. The Holot detention centre which was opened at the beginning of this year requires Inmates to sign in twice a day and spend the night in the facility. The goal of these detention centres is to “make their lives miserable, until they give up and agree to let Israel deport them”, according to Former Interior Minister Eli Yishai. 4,000 have reportedly left since; however the UNHCR warned Israel that this could be a breach of international law.

Last week 1,000 Africans, mainly of Sudanese and Eritrean origin from the Holot facility marched to the border and constructed a makeshift camp to protest their ill-treatment. Claiming that Holot is akin to prison and condemning Israel’s failure to process their asylum requests. The officials violently broke up the demonstration, leaving many injured. An Israeli spokeswoman confirmed that 779 people had been taken to a nearby prison. Consequently a mass hunger strike was initiated to protest this brutal treatment.

Outsiders are critical of the Israeli position, viewing the nations identity that would morally compel them to help others in need, in particular fellow Jews. The reality however, is that vast majority of religious institutions and leaders have not made any attempt to aid the recent African arrivals ; instead they have supported government policies, and mobilised their constituents to do the same.

The experience of maltreatment is nothing new in the African experience of Israel; an estimated 125,000 Ethiopians Jews more commonly known as Beta-Israel live in Israel, their community has continually faced widespread overt discrimination and socio-economic difficulties. Around 52% of Ethiopian-Israeli families are living below the poverty line; compared to 16 percent of the general Jewish population and 20% Ethiopian-Israeli children do not go to school. Narratives of drug abuse and crime are popular in society contributing to the growing disenfranchisement of the African population.

For Africans either facing oppression in their home lands or returning to their Holy land, migrating to Israel with hope search of hope and opportunity is for some becoming a nightmare.

Kei-Retta Farrell