[Debate] (Fwd) Travel advisory for Africans to Israel

[Patrick Bond]

    Israel: Increase in Racism Against African Asylum Seekers
    <http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/05/21/israel-increase-in-racism-against-african-asylum-seekers/>


Photos posts <http://globalvoicesonline.org/-/type/photos/> Photos 
<http://globalvoicesonline.org/-/type/photos/>

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/05/21/israel-increase-in-racism-against-african-asylum-seekers/

Posted 21 May 2012 <http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/05/21/> 9:07 GMT
<http://globalvoicesonline.org/author/elizabeth-tsurkov/>Written 
byElizabeth Tsurkov 
<http://globalvoicesonline.org/author/elizabeth-tsurkov/>
Countries 	Israel 
<http://globalvoicesonline.org/-/world/middle-east-north-africa/israel/>
Topics 	Human Rights 
<http://globalvoicesonline.org/-/topics/human-rights/>, Refugees 
<http://globalvoicesonline.org/-/topics/refugees/>, Ethnicity & Race 
<http://globalvoicesonline.org/-/topics/ethnicity-race/>, Migration & 
Immigration 
<http://globalvoicesonline.org/-/topics/migration-immigration/>, Media & 
Journalism <http://globalvoicesonline.org/-/topics/media-journalism/>
Languages 	Hebrew <http://globalvoicesonline.org/-/languages/hebrew/>, 
English <http://globalvoicesonline.org/-/languages/english/>


      TranslationsThis post also available in:

Français 	· Israël : vague de racisme à l'encontre des demandeurs 
d'asile africains <http://fr.globalvoicesonline.org/?p=109304>

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In the past few weeks two cases of rape of Jewish women by Eritrean and 
Sudanese asylum seekers have been reported in the Israeli media, 
prompting a new wave of racism against asylum seekers in Israel.

Israel is currently home to about 45,000 asylum seekers; over 80% of 
them are from Eritrea and Sudan, who are barred 
<http://972mag.com/myths-facts-and-suggestions-asylum-seekers-in-israel/33740/> 
from gaining refugee status in Israel. Instead, the refugees receive a 
conditional temporary release, until their deportation is possible. 
Currently, since such deportation would endanger the lives of the asylum 
seekers, it is illegal according to both international law and Israeli law.

The Israeli government insists that the asylum seekers are in fact 
illegal economic migrants and refuses to grant them any rights. Top 
Israeli officials, including the Minister of Interior Eli Yishai 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Yishai> and Prime Minister Netanyahu 
have consistently claimed 
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/20/israel-netanyahu-african-immigrants-jewish> 
that the refugees pose a demographic threat as well as a threat to 
Israel's national security.

Following the two incidents of rape, Yishai said 
<http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=270165> in an 
interview that "most African infiltrators are are involved in crime" and 
stated that the solution would be to lock up all refugees and deport 
them. However, police statistics show 
<http://972mag.com/police-distortion-of-crime-data-encourages-rising-violence-against-refugees/46236/> 
that the general crime rate in Israel is more than double that of 
Africans in Israel.

Racist graffiti in Hativa neighborhood, southern Tel Aviv. The graffiti 
reads "Sudanese go home" and "Price tag". Photo courtesy of Alon Sherf.

Blogger Shooky Galili has written 
<http://www.shooky101.com/?p=67140> [he] about the government's policy 
of sending the refugees to the poorest neighborhoods of Tel Aviv the 
moment they get out of detention (which they enter after crossing the 
border with Egypt):

?????? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ??? ??????. ?? ???? ????. ?? ?? ?? ????? 
?????? ????? ??? ??? ??????? ???? ?????? ??????, ??? ?????, ???? 
???????? ??? ????. ???? ?????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ?????, ????, ????? ?? 
??????? ???????. ?????? ?????? ?????? ???????, ?????? ??????, ?????? 
????, ????? ???????? ?????, ???? ?/?? ????? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ????? 
????, ?????? ????, ????? ????? ???? ????? ????.
As far as the state is concerned, it has always ignored them [residents 
of the poor neighborhoods in Tel Aviv]. It's not surprising that in this 
place of all other places the state chose to dump, like dogs, hundreds 
of Africans every week. Thousands of refugees who no one provided with 
clothing, shelter, food or medical services. Among them are defectors 
from cruel armies [Eritrean refugees], escaped [political] prisoners, 
dissidents, people whose dear ones were murdered, tortured and/or raped 
before their eyes, or just people who escaped hunger, violence and fear, 
to a place they thought would be more humane.

Sigal Rozen, a prominent refugee rights activist from the Hotline for 
Migrant Workers (whose employees last week received death threats 
<http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/threats-made-against-south-tel-aviv-aid-workers-after-yishai-remarks-1.430920> 
for assisting refugees), described the consequences of this incitement 
<http://972mag.com/police-distortion-of-crime-data-encourages-rising-violence-against-refugees/46236/>:

    For the residents of southern Tel Aviv, where most of the refugees
    are concentrated, official crime rates undoubtedly do not matter.
    Their subjective feelings of fear are understandable. The
    irresponsible statements of senior police chiefs, together with the
    media coverage of actual incidents and the speeches of ministers and
    MKs, lead the residents to believe that almost all Africans walking
    the streets are criminals. This belief, and the fact that the
    streets of their neighborhoods are indeed filled with African
    newcomers, leads residents of the neighborhoods to the painful
    conclusion that the authorities are abandoning them. But this
    discourse has dangerous implications. In the last month, the number
    of hate crimes carried out by Israelis against Africans has risen
    tremendously. Multiple Molotov cocktails were thrown into houses
    <http://972mag.com/community-shaken-after-coordinated-attacks-on-african-refugees/43727/>
    of Africans in southern Tel Aviv on two separate occasions, a week
    apart.

Professor Moshe Negbi wrote on the 7th Eye blog about the role of the 
Israeli media 
<http://www.the7eye.org.il/DailyColumn/Pages/200512_Eli_Yishai_not_alone.aspx> [he]:

????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ??????? ?? ???? 14 ?????? ?????? ?? 
????? ???????? -- ??????? "????? ???????" -- ???? ????? ?? ????? ?? 
?????? ?? ???? ????? ?????, ??? ?? ?? ????? ????? ??? ????? ????? 
??????????. [...] ???? ???????? "????????? ?????? ?????? ????? ??-????" 
?"??????? ???? ????" ?? ?? ?????? ???? ?? ????? ?????, ???? ??????? 
????? ????? ?? ??????? ?? ??? ?????? ??? ??? ????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ?? ????.

???? ???? ???? ????? ??????? ??????, ?????? ????? ??????? ???????, ???? 
????? ?"??? ????", ?????? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ???????, ??? ???? ?????? 
?????? ?????? ?????. ????? ??????? ?????? ?????? ????????? ?? ???? 
?????? ???. ?? ????? ????? ?? 85% ???????? ??????? ?? ?? ????? ??????? 
??-??? "?? ???", ??? ?????? ??? ?????, ?????? ?? ??????? ?? ???????.

It is crucial to remind editors in charge of phrasing headlines and 
crime reporters that Article 14 of the Ethics Regulations of the Israeli 
Press Council - entitled "Discrimination and Racism" - forbids 
mentioning the association of a criminal or a suspect with any sector of 
society, unless the affiliation to this group has a direct and clear 
connection to his crime. [...] It is clear that the headlines "Eritreans 
suspected of an assault in southern Tel Aviv" and "African suspected of 
robbery" are grave violations of the aforementioned article, because the 
mentioning of the criminal's ethnicity implicates the criminal's entire 
people or race.

When it comes to sexual assaults, the violation [of the Ethics 
Regulations] is much more severe, since the fear of the "dark stranger", 
who supposedly threatens the innocence of our daughters, is the most 
deadly racist combustive material. It is outrageous that editors and 
reporters feed the fire of this combustive material with their reports. 
Needless to say, 85% of sexual assaults [in Israel] not only do not 
involve a "dark stranger", but happen at the hands of acquaintances, 
relatives or employers of the rape victims.

<https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150869270622140&set=a.10150869243757140.430803.580272139&type=3> 


Injury of Eritrean man attacked by two Israelis holding broken bottles 
and a knife. Photo by Sigal Rozen on Facebook.

Yossi Gurvitz, leading Israeli leftist blogger, commented 
<http://972mag.com/the-black-haired-youth-stalking-the-golden-haired-girl/46239/>:

    When the Israeli media reports a rape by "foreigners," it engages in
    dog-whistling. It informs its readership that something much worse
    than rape took place: the defilement of the blood and honor of the
    Jewish people, the defiling of the honor of a daughter of Israel.

On his blog Room 404, Ido Kenan reported on the racist comments 
<http://room404.net/?p=52799> [he] posted by some Israelis in response 
to police requests for help in locating a five-year-old Eritrean girl 
who went missing (and was later found) in southern Tel Aviv:

?????? ??? ?-300 ??????? ???????? ???????, ??? ?? ????? ?? ????, ?????? 
????? ??????.
Avishay Vas: "????? ????????...???? ????? ??? ????..."
The status [by the police, notifying that the girl went missing] 
received 300 shares and sympathetic reactions, but also comments filled 
with hatred, racism and insensitivity.
[For example] Avishay Vas: Check in the parking lots...Maybe a Sudanese 
man assaulted her...

Quick to joke about anything, Israelis on Twitter also commented on the 
growing wave of racism toward Africans:

Ayelet quipped:

?? ????? ?? ?????? ???? ????? ?????, ?????? ??? ??????.
@a_Daydreamer 
<https://twitter.com/#%21/a_Daydreamer/status/204235774286237697>: This 
is exactly what Israel needs right now, racism against black people.

Erez Raviv joked:

??? ?????? ? ??? ??????, ?????????, ????? ??????? ????? ?? ???? ?? ???. 
?????? ??????
@Erez_Raviv 
<https://twitter.com/#%21/erez_raviv/status/203849310641717248>: Why all 
the panic? A little racism, xenophobia, inequality and social decay 
never killed anyone. Especially Jews
Creative Commons License <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/>
Written by Elizabeth Tsurkov 
<http://globalvoicesonline.org/author/elizabeth-tsurkov/>
Posted 21 May 2012 <http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/05/21/> 9:07 GMT
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