An Anti-Migrant Offensive In Israel
Israeli riot police apprehend an Eritrean protester in Tel Aviv on September 2nd.
Alex Kane reports in Jewish Currents September 12, 2023
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On September 2nd, Israeli police opened fire on a crowd of hundreds of Eritreans in Tel Aviv. The police were responding to street fighting outside a contentious event hosted by the Eritrean embassy: a celebration of 30 years of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki’s autocratic rule, described by human rights groups as one of the most repressive in the world. Hundreds of pro-government Eritreans gathered at the celebration, but hundreds of others arrived on the scene seeking to disrupt the event, which they saw as pro-autocracy propaganda. Violent clashes ensued between the two sides, as Eritreans with opposing views on Afwerki used construction lumber, stones, and at least one axe to attack each other. But it was the involvement of the Israeli police that escalated a chaotic street fight into a far more dangerous situation, especially after the police used live ammunition on the protestors in addition to tear gas and stun grenades. Over 100 Eritreans were injured, including about 11 people who were shot.
The police violence was only one part of a full-fledged offensive that the Israeli government has launched against the country’s Eritrean immigrants since the September 2nd clashes. In the past week, Israeli authorities have placed over 50 Eritrean protest participants in administrative detention—imprisonment without charge or trial. On Friday, Haaretz reported that the Israeli police had closed four Eritrean churches in Tel Aviv because of fears of further violence. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to deport Eritreans involved in the clashes, and also asked his ministers for a plan to deport all immigrants believed to have entered Israel illegally. One anti-migrant plan was unveiled on Sunday, when the Israeli government announced a $7.8 million anti-asylum seeker program that includes funding to encourage migrants to depart. The program will also strengthen the police presence in south Tel Aviv, where many asylum seekers live. “It seems that officials in the government were just waiting for an opportunity to start a wild campaign against Eritrean refugees and the asylum-seeker community as a whole,” said Tali Ehrenthal, executive director of Aid Organization for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Israel, also known as ASSAF. “There is a sense that [the government] is trying to pave the way for a fatal violation of [asylum-seekers’] human rights and prepare public opinion for additional legislative initiatives that will hurt the community and put them at risk.”