Yesterday, the Israeli Knesset debated the "Infiltration Prevention Law" which Israeli human rights groups are calling "one of the most dangerous bills ever presented in the Knesset."
The bill, if passed, will allow for the immediate deportation of anyone who enters Israel illegally, including African refugees fleeing genocide who may be forced to return to countries where their lives will be endangered. Refugees from Sudan, including those escaping Darfur, will be subject to seven years' imprisonment as they are citizens of an "enemy country." And all refugees, children included, will be vulnerable to administrative detention--imprisonment without charges or judicial proceedings.
The bill is intended to update the 1954 Infiltration Prevention Law, which was created to criminalize the actions of Palestinian "fedayeen" (freedom fighters)--Arab refugees who attempted to re-enter Israel in order to reclaim the land they were removed from in 1948, when the state of Israel was established.
Approximately 20,000 African asylum seekers currently call Israel home. 35% of these are from Sudan. Genocide has torn through Darfur, in Western Sudan, since 2003 and South Sudan has been host to a bloody civil war for over 40 years. Another 50% of the refugees come from Eritrea, a country gripped by a brutal dictatorship.
According to Ynet, MK Faina Kirshenbaum of the hard-line Yisrael Beitenu (Israel Our Home) party, which is lead by hawkish Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, called the refugees a burden during yesterday's discussion.
"I'm certain they will not be welcomed in [the Israeli cities] Raanana or Herzliya," she added. "I suggest opening an air route to Belgium or Sweden and we'll see how European countries welcome such an amount of refugees. I suggest they be turned over to other countries."
Deputy Attorney General Mike Balas pointed out that Israel's southern border, where African asylum seekers enter the country, is not breached only by refugees, Ynet reported, "One must remember that there are people who are part of smuggling networks and on the border one cannot distinguish between an infiltrator and a refugee." However, Balas emphasized that the bill is not intended to harm asylum seekers.
But the Israeli government doesn't recognize many of the refugees as asylum seekers, claiming, instead, that they are migrant laborers who might constitute a security threat.
Oscar, a refugee from the Congo who fled in the midst of war, disputed this claim, according to Ynet: "Most of the refugees I know who live in south Tel Aviv are indeed refugees who escaped danger," he said, "We didn't choose to be refugees. There are many children of Holocaust survivors here [in the committee] who were in a similar state as ours, and therefore they should understand us."
And in a press conference held on Tuesday, human rights groups pointed out that, in 2009, the Israeli government reported that some 90 percent of Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers are indeed refugees. "The government is lying to the public and telling the international community the truth," the NGOs said.
Some observers say that bids to clear refugees from the state are thinly veiled attempts at ethnic cleansing--and this criticism is bolstered by the fact that Prime Minister Netanyahu has publicly called the refugees a threat to the Jewish character of the state.
Critics of the bill also point out that giving sanctuary to such a small number of asylum seekers hardly constitutes a demographic threat. And human rights groups add that in the past year Netanyahu's government allowed some 120,000 migrant workers into Israel--25 times more than the amount of refugees who trickled in via the southern border during the same period.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
The Wartime Updates You Need To Know
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
HuffPost is dedicated to covering the devastating war between Hamas and Israel. We've broken news on the famine in Gaza, the State Department's turmoil, as well as what Hamas is thinking now — and we're far from done. HuffPost is committed to bringing you the critical updates you need to know. Would you consider contributing as little as $2 to support our reporting? Thank you for your support.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.