Sudanese Refugees in Israel
For many years, the Arabs in Sudan lived peacefully alongside the native Africans in the region. After a severe drought in
the 1980s, the situation deteriorated and
African villages were regularly attacked
by government forces. In 2003, as a response to the attacks,
the Sudan Liberation Army, a rebel group
consisting primarily of Africans from the Darfur region of Sudan, attacked government forces
in Darfur. In retaliation, the central government
in the capital city of Khartoum, armed
and funded Arab militias called Janjaweed.
They rampaged across the country, murdering
native Muslim and Christian African men,
women and children throughout
Sudan. The militias raped women, burned villages,
and terrorized all non-Arabs they encountered. The conflict began in 2003, and today, an estimated 480,000 people have been killed, over 3,200 African villages have been destroyed, and 2.8 million people have been displaced. Nearly five million Sudanese depend on humanitarian aid.
In July 2007, the UN Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 1769 which called for a 26,000 member peace-keeping force consisting of 20,000 troops and 6,000 civilian personnel. A year later however, only 9,000 of the authorized 20,000 troops were on the ground in Darfur. Many Sudanese refguees have fled to the Republic
of Chad and Egypt. As of December 2013, nearly 275,000 had escaped to Chad and about 18,000 to Egypt, where they continue to suffer from a lack of basic rights and live on the verge of starvation
under constant threat of harassment, persecution,
and violence from authorities and locals
alike.
Sudanese refugees began fleeing Egypt for Israel in 2005. They crossed the Sinai on a rigorous
and harrowing journey, led by Bedouins who often charged $100-$300 for their guide
services. As refugees first began crossing
the porous border between Egypt and Israel,
Egyptian border police were ordered to shoot
anyone they saw and diligently followed their
command. Those who managed to enter Israel
alive were often wounded or starving. The Israeli military treated those in need of food and medican attention and then detained the refugees.
According to a 1954 Israeli law, all infiltrators
from enemy states, such as Sudan which harbors terrorists, must be detained until their
refugee status can be confirmed. Israel took
in less than 2,000 refugees in 2007. Many
of these refugees were caught in Be’er
Sheva crossing the border. They spent
time in prison or detention centers, such
as the Ketziot Prison complex which was set
up to hold 2,000 refugees in small trailers
of the sort used in construction sites. Supporters
of the detention camp argued it was necessary
to enable authorities to sort all those caught
infiltrating Israel through its border with
Egypt. Non-refugee infiltrators include an estimated 1,500 illegal immigrants from Africa who came in search of work and hundreds of Eastern European trafficked in for sex trade industry.
Many refugees have been sent back to Egypt,
where they faced further detention or deportation
back to Sudan. Critics claimed Israel violated
international law and the 1951 United Nations
Refugee Convention, which prohibits the expulsion
of refugees without assessing their claims
for asylum. The UNHCR, the United Nations
Refugee Agency’s responsibility is
to find a permanent solution for the refugee
problem. Israel argued that its small country
could not take in more refugees and UNHCR
should play a more active role in helping
the refugees.
Those who were released from detention and
allowed to stay in Israel met a harsh reality.
Jobs were hard to come by and living conditions
squalor. The Hotline for Migrant Workers
says 17,000 African refugees have entered
Israel via the Egyptian border since 2006,
including 5,000 Sudanese migrants, 3,000
of whom were Christians who settled in Israel.
Currently about 1,200 Darfuris live in Israel
with about 500 in Tel Aviv and the rest primarily
working on kibbutzim in the South and in
hotels in Eilat. Those who found lives in
on kibbutzim and in hotels in Eilat find
themselves happier than those in Tel Aviv,
where jobs are scarce and living conditions
harsh. A rundown bomb shelter across from
the central bus station in Tel Aviv has become
a home for many Africans until they can
find work or proper housing. After granting
refugees asylum, the Israeli government’s
efforts to help the integration of Africans
into society was minimal. Instead, Israeli
charities, churches, synagogues, legal and
medial aid organizations, and the Tel Aviv
municipality lend a large hand.
Several organizations help
aid refugees in Israel.
B’nai Darfur (Sons of Darfur) started in 2007 as a non-profit humanitarian
organization that provides social opportunities,
health care, education, and cultural programs.
They aim to empower the Darfurian, as well
as the Sudanese and Eritrean, communities
and provide economic aid. The organization
was established by some of the first Darfurian refugees
to arrive in Israel and began taking roots
while its founders were still detained in
prison. The organization helps refugees find
jobs, learn Hebrew and English, and attend school while and raises awareness of the genocide occurring
in Darfur.
In addition to absorbing refugees, Israel has sent financial aid for refugees in other
countries. By November 2, 2006, the Israeli
Government and American Jewish organizations
had contributed a combined total of $75,000
USD to assist Sudanese refugees who had settled
in UNHCR camps in Chad. In the US, the Jewish
American community has been one of the most
outspoken and active groups in fighting genocide
and lobbying the nation’s leaders.
For example, American Jewish World Service
and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum founded
the Save Darfur Coalition, the biggest raiser
of private funds for Darfur in the United
States.
In January 2014, over 20,000 African migrants and asylum-seekers marched in Tel Aviv in an effort to garner the support of Western governments to denounce Israel's detention policy toward migrants who enter the country illegally, to be recognized as refugees and persuade Israel to stop arresting them and free those currently imprisoned. Protesters marched to the embassies of France, Britain, Italy, Canada and Germany with letters appealing to these countries' support. The protests follow a December law that Israel's parliament approved, which enables authorities to detain migrants without valid visas indefinitely. Since then, more than 300 migrants were arrested and others summons to be detained. Since 2006, approximately 60,000 migrants - mostly from Eritrea and Sudan, have crossed into Israel through the then-porous border with Egypt. After the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, Israel began constructing a border fence along its border with Sinai. The fence has dramatically reduced if not completely halted illegal immigration, as of the summer of 2013, and also serves as a counterterrorism blocade.
Sources:
Reuters, "African migrants protest Israel detention law,"Al Jazeera (January 6, 2014).
B'nai Darfur.
Derfner, Larry, "African
Refugees Pose Dilemma for Israel," US
News, (February 28, 2008).
Fiske, Gavriel, "Netanyahu: Egypt border fence halted flow of migrants," Times of Israel (July 7, 2013).
Goren, Yuval, "Ten
Refugees Leave Israel to Return Home," Haaretz, (April 20, 2009).
Gradstein, Linda, "Israel
Weary of Sudanese Refugees," NPR, (May 24, 2009).
Knickmeyer, Ellen, "Israel
to Block Refugees From Darfur," The
Washington Post, (August 20, 2007).
Knickmeyer, Ellen, "A
Crisis of Conscience Over Refugees in Israel." The
Washington Post, (September 25, 2007).
McCarthy, Rory, "Unholy
Sanctuary," Guardian,
(May 3, 2008).
"Press Release: Israel
Contributes Humanitarian Assistance to
Sudanese Refugees," European Parliament, (November 2, 2006).
Sinai, Ruth, "Sudanese
Refugees Sue Israel Over Abuse by Security
Forces," Haaretz, (July 3, 2007).
Wheeler, Carolynne, "Israel Detains Darfur
Refugees in Desert 'Prison'." Telegraph, (June 15, 2007).
The
Washington Times, (May 10, 2009).
United Human Rights (2013).
World Without Genocide (2013).
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