refugees

A South Sudanese refugee child looks out from a bus in Tel Aviv that will take him to Ben Gurion Airport where they will be deported to South Sudan with 150 people on a flight leaving that night, Israel, July 11, 2012. (Oren Ziv/Activestills)

These Sudanese were deported by Israel. Now they’re saving others from war

Israel carries heavy responsibility for denying asylum to Sudanese who are being forced to flee their homes yet again. Initiatives like ours can help them.

By Rami Gudovitch May 31, 2023

Palestinian students arriving from Ukraine on a rescue flight are welcomed by their families at Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, March 1, 2022. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Who is protecting the Palestinians fleeing Ukraine?

Governments are invoking 'diplomatic protection' to help their citizens at Ukraine's borders. But occupied Palestinians are falling through the cracks.

By Itamar Mann March 9, 2022

African asylum seekers wait outside an Israeli immigration office in the central city of Bnei Brak, where authorities began handing out deportation orders, February 13, 2018. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

Rwanda is out, but Israel says it can still deport refugees to — Uganda?

International pressure led Rwanda to back out of a secret agreement to take in African asylum seekers deported from Israel. Now Israel says it has a nearly identical agreement with a second country, widely known to be Uganda. Kampala denies any such agreement exists. Israeli insisted on Wednesday that despite the collapse of a deal…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man April 4, 2018

Latest

Palestinian men tend to a wounded protester during the Great Return March in Gaza, east of Jabaliya. March 30, 2018. (Mohammed Zaanoun / Activestills.org)

A week of unbearable heartbreak in Israel-Palestine

From unarmed protesters gunned down in Gaza to hope snatched away from refugees, the human suffering this past week has been overwhelming. This past week has been one of the more heartbreaking recent periods in Israel-Palestine. First, and this seems surreal to write for the umpteenth time, the Israeli army dispatched 100 snipers to open…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man April 3, 2018

Asylum seekers and Israeli activists rally in Rabin Square to protest the deportation plan. March 24, 2018. (Activestills.org)

Israel halts refugee deportation plan, UN to help with resettlement [updated]

After major public campaigns inside Israel and abroad, pressure on the Rwandan government not to accept refugees deported by Israel, and ultimately effective legal challenges, Israel announces it will scrap its mass deportation plan and work with the UN to resettle African asylum seekers in Western countries. This is a huge victory but there may…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man April 2, 2018

Thousands of asylum seekers and activists protest outside the Rwandan embassy in Herzliya. February 7, 2018. (Shiraz Grinbaum/Activestills.org)

Live blog: Global protests against Israeli plans to deport refugees

Protests are expected outside Rwandan embassies around the world Wednesday as Israel moves forward with its plan to deport tens of thousands of asylum seekers, most of whom fled Eritrea and Sudan. By +972 Magazine Staff [This live blog has ended.] Activists hope Israel’s deportation plan can be stopped if Rwanda pulls out of its…

By +972 Magazine February 7, 2018

African asylum seekers and human rights activists protest against deportation in front of the Rwandan Embassy in Herzliya, on January 22, 2018. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Asylum seekers sent to Rwanda warn: ‘If you don’t want to die, stay in Israel’

Israeli officials often imply that African asylum seekers sent to Rwanda will receive legal status and the ability to build a life there. Testimonies collected in a new report paint an entirely different — and much grimmer — picture. “I saw 400 people [in the Mediterranean]. They drowned […] many children died, I remember. I don’t…

By Joshua Leifer February 2, 2018

Protesters outside of the president's residence in Jerusalem on Monday night, January 22, 2018. (Yael Marom)

Asylum seekers to Israel’s president: ‘Look us in the eyes’

Israel plans to begin deporting tens of thousands of Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers in the coming months. Hundreds gather outside the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, hoping to tell him their stories. Several hundred asylum seekers from Eritrea and Sudan demonstrated in front of Israeli President Rivlin’s official residence in Jerusalem Monday night, calling on…

By Yali (Yael) Marom January 23, 2018

An El Al pilot hangs out the window of one of the carrier's planes. (Illustrative photo by Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

‘I won’t fly refugees to their deaths’: The El Al pilots resisting deportation

At least three pilots for Israel’s flag carrier publish declarations publicly refusing to take part in the forced deportation of asylum seekers should they be asked to. The Israeli government is giving tens of thousands of Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers a stark choice: deportation or indefinite imprisonment. By Yali (Yael) Marom At least three El Al…

By Yali (Yael) Marom January 22, 2018

Eritrean asylum seekers stage a mock slave auction outside the Knesset to protest Israel's plans to deport tens of thousands of Sudanese and Eritrean asylum seekers, January 17, 2018, Jerusalem. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Refugees hold ‘slave auction’ outside Knesset to protest deportation

Israel plans to begin deporting tens of thousands of Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers within weeks. Activists hope the action will raise awareness of what awaits them. By Oren Ziv A group of Eritrean asylum seekers and Israeli refugee advocates staged a mock slave auction outside the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, while a conference on government…

By Activestills January 17, 2018

African migrants gather during a protest outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on January 26, 2017. (Sebi Berens/Flash90)

Between determination and despair: Meet the refugees fighting deportation

The Israeli government has begun the first stages in its planned deportation of African asylum seekers. Refugee activists and advocates are preparing to fight it. The start of the new year marked the first stages of the Israeli government’s plan to deport the roughly 40,000 asylum seekers, most from Eritrea and Sudan, currently living in Israel. The government announced in…

By Joshua Leifer January 16, 2018

African asylum seekers gather during a protest outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on January 26, 2017. (Sebi Berens/Flash90)

It is our silence that allows Israel to deport asylum seekers

Fifty years on, Martin Luther King Jr.’s words resonate more than ever: those who are silent are all part of the problem. It is they who have allowed Israel to neglect south Tel Aviv and to condemn asylum seekers to torture and death. By Sapir Sluzker-Amram On January 15, Americans observed Martin Luther King Day, marking 50 years since the civil…

By +972 Magazine January 16, 2018

African asylum seekers protest on Saturday against the "Deposit Law", following which Eritreans and Sudanese are required to deposit fifth percent of their salary. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

The new ‘choice’ for asylum seekers: Deportation or prison

Israel finally plans to close its desert detention facility for African asylum seekers. Refugee advocates worry it could be the start of something even worse. During a midnight vote on Monday, the Knesset passed a bill that will enable the government to detain asylum seekers indefinitely or deport them to an unspecified country in Africa.…

By Joshua Leifer December 13, 2017