Violence broke out as several hundred people demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Wednesday night against the sizeable community of African immigrants in the city, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said.

The media reported that people shouted xenophobic slogans, such as “blacks out,” and chided the “bleeding heart leftists” who defend immigrants.

Over the years, an estimated 60,000 Africans, mostly from Sudan and Eritrea, have slipped over the border into Israel from Egypt.

Israel is building a wall along its border with Egypt and a detention center in the southern Negev desert.

Israel demonstration against African migrants turns violent (Al Arabiya)

I posted about Israel’s budding £58m “detention center” last month:

Of the 13,683 people who entered Israel illegally in 2010, 62% were Eritreans and 33% were Sudanese. According to UNHCR figures, 66% of Eritreans who arrive illegally in the UK are granted refugee status and 96% of those arriving in Canada.

In 2010, Israel recognised three refugees, rising to six last year. In total, just 170 people claiming asylum have been granted refugee status by the Jewish state since it signed the refugee convention in 1949.

I am horrified. Israel! What are you doing?

(via whywewaltz)

Israel trying to block itself off is really nothing new. the reason i think why people are so shocked about what’s going on with the treatment and backlash of African diasporic immigrants is because everyone gets too caught up on Israel rescuing Ethiopian Jewish communities via operation solomon in the late 1980s, and doesn’t actually pay attention to what happened after they were brought to Israel let alone their treatment of Ethiopian Jews in present day Israeli society.

sad as i am to read this, this is just what i need for my research project. 

(via navigatethestream)

Ari pretty much made the point I was gonna go into. Much of the sympathy for African immigrants is lost because the idea is that they were saved from their hopeless nation of origin, so they should even be grateful to Israel. This is especially true in the case of Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews) who not only faced financial destitution, but also harsh religious persecution in Ethiopia at the hands of the Orthodox Christian who hold majority power and representation.

This isn’t surprising in the least. As someone who’s Eritrean/Ethiopian and has several cousins either living or trying to seek refuge in Israel through the Sinai, the violence and turmoil perpetuated against people of African descent is inhumane. This is why I roll my eyes at anyone who has the audacity to conflate the criticism of Zionism with anti-Semitism. The idea that Israel is a land solely belonging to Ashkenazi Jews results in discrimination, death and harassment like this.

(via dank-potion)

reblogging for commentary 

(via navigatethestream)