The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
– ‘Infiltrators’ –
Religious and conservative politicians have portrayed the presence of Muslim and Christian Africans as a threat to Israel’s Jewish character.
Calling them “infiltrators,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly called for their expulsion.
Rights groups have rallied to the migrants’ cause, saying they should be recognised in Israel as refugees and arguing they will face grave dangers if they are deported.
Others argue that conditions in Rwanda and Uganda are acceptable and it is not Israel’s duty to care for them.
“I’ll ensure all the rights we promised them, and at the same time, I’ll rehabilitate south Tel Aviv,” Interior Minister Arye Deri said.
The migrants located at Holot are allowed to leave during the day.
Waiting for a bus outside the facility, a defiant Ahmad Jamal, 25, said the government’s plan was a ploy by Netanyahu to divert attention from corruption probes.
“We’re wise to his tricks,” he said bitterly.
Ishmael asked how he could be considered an economic migrant if he cannot be deported to his country of origin because of the dangers there.
“If the government really thinks I infiltrated to become a work migrant, it should have returned me to my country of origin,” he said.
Both Ishmael and Tewelde Medihin miss their home country, but say they had no choice but to flee what they describe as a dictatorship.
“If things were better there, I wouldn’t stay another minute here. I miss my country, my mother, my people,” Tewelde Medihin said. “I didn’t want to be a refugee.”
Like the other Eritreans at the centre, Jamal’s route to Israel involved an arduous trek through African countries and the Sinai desert, where he and his peers were at the mercy of Bedouin smugglers.
He also said he would refuse a cash payoff and hope for the best.
“God will watch over me, nobody else does,” he said. “We’re not afraid of anything. We’ve been through much worse.”
