anti-infiltration law

Deporation of South Sudanese, Tel Aviv bus station July 11, 2012 (Activestills)

Israel doesn’t need to deport asylum seekers to make them leave

Six ways the Israeli government is intentionally making the lives of asylum seekers unbearable. By Elizabeth Tsurkov Since 2008, the Israeli government has been implementing several policies whose purpose is to make the lives of African asylum seekers miserable, in the words of former Israeli Minister of Interior, and to coerce them to leave Israel.…

By +972 Magazine June 24, 2015

An African asylum seeker rests during a march from the Holot detention center, in which they are jailed, to the Israeli-Egyptian border in protest of Israel's asylum policies. June 27, 2014. (Photo by Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

‘A new page in human history’: Darfuri refugee on landmark court ruling

Mutasim Ali is happy but he is not celebrating the landmark court ruling that will set him and thousands of other African asylum seekers free by the end of the year. There is a long, bumpy road ahead, he says, but ‘Israel will be a better place and it is our responsibility to make it so.’…

By +972 Magazine September 22, 2014

Asylum seekers from Darfur take part in the 11th memorial day for the genocide in Darfur, in Levinsky park, South Tel Aviv, April 30, 2014.

Israel hasn’t recognized one Sudanese refugee

Worldwide, the refugee recognition rate for Sudanese is nearly 70 percent. Out of the 10,000 in Israel, not one has been granted refugee status. By Elizbaeth Tsurkov The State of Israel recognized just over 200 refugees ever since it signed the Refugee Convention in 1954, but none of them are Sudanese nationals. You read it right…

By +972 Magazine May 8, 2014

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Asylum seekers at the High Court of Justice for a hearing on the revised "Anti-Infiltration Law", April 1, 2014. (Photo by Activestills.org)

Twitter Transcript: Israel’s High Court discusses ‘infiltrator law’

[View the story “Israel’s High Court hears arguments against ‘infiltrators law'” on Storify]

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man April 1, 2014

File photo of Israeli border police arresting African asylum seekers during an arrest sweep in south Tel Aviv. (Photo: Keren Manor/ Activestills.org)

Knesset passes revised law for detention of African asylum seekers

The previous law was struck down by the High Court, which ordered the state to begin releasing the asylum seekers it was indefinitely detaining. Instead, the Knesset passed a law to circumvent the ruling and indefinitely detain asylum seekers in ‘open prisons.’ By Elizabeth Tsurkov After a passionate debate and a filibuster by opposition members of…

By +972 Magazine December 10, 2013

An African asylum seeker shows a list of names of some of those waiting to renew their temporary visa, outside the Israeli Ministry of Interior's offices in Tel Aviv, early morning, November 1, 2012. Asylum seekers gather from midnight outside the offices to be first in line. Only 60-70 visas are renewed each day, meaning many have to return the next day to repeat the process. Unlike Israelis coming to the offices, the asylum seekers are not allowed into the building. An officer comes out and takes the documents, leaving the applicants outside, sometimes waiting for hours. The 2A5 temporary visa must be renewed every 3 months, regardless of the amount of time a person has been living in Israel. The temporary visa is their only legal document issued by the Israeli government, and can be revoked at any time without reason. (photo by: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

Despite landmark High Court ruling, asylum seekers are only cautiously optimistic

Monday’s High Court ruling provided a major blow to the state’s attempt to hold asylum seekers in detention. However, despite the decision, asylum seekers are still not entitled to basic benefits such as health insurance, social services, housing and the freedom to work. By Elizabeth Tsurkov Refugees in Israel reacted with delight to the news of…

By +972 Magazine September 17, 2013

Ibrahim, a refugee from Sudan, holds a document given to him by the UN in Egypt, as he takes part in a protest held by refugees and activists outside the UN offices in Tel Aviv, June 10, 2012 (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Would Israel’s refugee policies stand up in… Nairobi?

Israel could learn a thing or two from the Kenyan High Court’s rebuttal of efforts to lock up asylum seekers. There are judges in Nairobi [1], and they are more courageous and much more familiar with refugee law than judges in Jerusalem. A Kenyan court last month published a ruling on a government decision to…

By Laissez Passer August 11, 2013

Eritrean refugees living in Israel take part in a protest outside the Eritrean embassy in the city of Ramat Gan, February 1. 2013. The protesters were calling for the ousting of the dictatorship regime in Eritrea, and the release of all political prisoners. (Photo by: Yotam Ronen/ Activestills.org)

Eritreans in Israel face unique obstacles in protesting for their country’s future

Had the Israeli media paid attention to a protest by Eritrean refugees outside their embassy last week, the public would have learned something valuable about the Eritrean community in Israel: they desperately want a better future for their country so that one day soon, they can go home. By Sigal Rozen Over 200 Eritrean refugees gathered…

By +972 Magazine February 7, 2013

Eli Yishai visit detention camps for Asylum Seekers in the south (photo: Yotam Ronen / Activestills.org)

Interior minister exploits rape by Eritrean for anti-immigrant campaign

Prepare yourselves. Last May, when it was last announced that an Eritrean citizen raped an Israeli woman, Interior Minister Eli Yishai responded by placing thousands of asylum seekers, among them children, rape and torture victims and the elderly in administrative detention, all in accordance with Israel’s Prevention of Infiltration Law. In the wake of the…

By Laissez Passer January 3, 2013

A view of the new section in Saharonim prison destined for imprisonment without trial of asylum seekers and refugees, August 31, 2012. (photo: Activestills)

For asylum seekers in Israel, the police is the judiciary

A new government regulation enables the indefinite incarceration of refugees suspected of committing crimes, even if there is not enough evidence to indict them. Were this regulation applied to Israeli politicians, many of them would be in prison. By Asaf Weitzen The upcoming elections will affect not only the lives of Israeli citizens, they will…

By +972 Magazine December 3, 2012

the gate to saharonim prison (photo: noam sheizaf)

PHOTO ESSAY: A sprawling desert prison, for thousands of refugees

On Thursday, I traveled to the south with a group of journalists and bloggers to view the construction of new detention facilities around Ketsiot, near the Egyptian border. When completed, the four prisons in the area are meant to be able to hold more than 16,000 inmates, making them, together, the largest detention facility for…

By Noam Sheizaf November 3, 2012

Saharonim (photo: Laissez Passer)

Abducted from Sudan, tortured in Sinai: Mother and child languish in Israeli jail

After facing brutal treatment at the hands of Sinai smugglers, an Eritrean mother and her baby daughter – who did not intend to go to Israel – have found themselves victim to Israeli policy, despite not having done a thing to deserve such a fate. By Anat Ben-Dor There are things one can do only when…

By Laissez Passer October 1, 2012

27 year-old Sudanese refugee Abdulla Ali spends his day at Lewinsky Park, Tel Aviv, June 11, 2012 (photo: Roee Ruttenberg)

Sudanese refugees, activists hope for change in policies

Activists believe the deportation of South Sudanese will most probably not lower the number of African migrants in Israel, and it is also a direct violation of Israel’s obligations under international commitments. Israeli authorities have begun arresting dozens of African migrants, as reported by +972’s Mya Guarnieri. It is the latest in an effort to crackdown…

By Roee Ruttenberg June 11, 2012