eritrea

The Eritrean flag flies during a protest outside the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on January 08, 2014. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The far-right nationalist movement roiling Eritreans in Israel

The far-right Agazian movement seeks to establish a Tigrinyan Orthodox-Christian state in what is now Eritrea and part of Ethiopia. Its anti-Muslim, militant politics are deepening the divisions within the already fractious Eritrean opposition. By Inbal Ben Yehuda About two years ago, an extremist, far-right movement began operating on the Eritrean political scene. The movement, broadly called Agazian…

By +972 Magazine May 7, 2018

African asylum seekers and human rights activists protest against deportation in front of the Rwandan Embassy in Herzliya, on January 22, 2018. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Asylum seekers sent to Rwanda warn: ‘If you don’t want to die, stay in Israel’

Israeli officials often imply that African asylum seekers sent to Rwanda will receive legal status and the ability to build a life there. Testimonies collected in a new report paint an entirely different — and much grimmer — picture. “I saw 400 people [in the Mediterranean]. They drowned […] many children died, I remember. I don’t…

By Joshua Leifer February 2, 2018

African migrants gather during a protest outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on January 26, 2017. (Sebi Berens/Flash90)

Between determination and despair: Meet the refugees fighting deportation

The Israeli government has begun the first stages in its planned deportation of African asylum seekers. Refugee activists and advocates are preparing to fight it. The start of the new year marked the first stages of the Israeli government’s plan to deport the roughly 40,000 asylum seekers, most from Eritrea and Sudan, currently living in Israel. The government announced in…

By Joshua Leifer January 16, 2018

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African asylum seekers gather during a protest outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on January 26, 2017. (Sebi Berens/Flash90)

It is our silence that allows Israel to deport asylum seekers

Fifty years on, Martin Luther King Jr.’s words resonate more than ever: those who are silent are all part of the problem. It is they who have allowed Israel to neglect south Tel Aviv and to condemn asylum seekers to torture and death. By Sapir Sluzker-Amram On January 15, Americans observed Martin Luther King Day, marking 50 years since the civil…

By +972 Magazine January 16, 2018

Eritreans rally outside the European Union Embassy in Ramat Gan, Israel. (photo: Iasso Buletch)

Asylum seekers call on Europe to try Eritrean leader for crimes against humanity

Thousands of Eritrean asylum seekers demonstrate in front of the European Union Embassy in support of a UN Commission of Inquiry to examine human rights abuses by the Eritrean dictatorship. By Inbal Ben Yehuda Over 2,000 Eritrean asylum seekers demonstrated in front of the European Union Embassy in Ramat Gan on Tuesday in support a…

By +972 Magazine June 23, 2016

Exclusive: Despite dangers, Israel sending asylum seekers to home countries

For the first time, new statistics reveal that nearly 4,600 Sudanese and 1,000 Eritreans were sent back to their countries of origin, possibly against international law. Israel’s Interior Ministry claims they are returning ‘voluntarily.’ A +972 Magazine exclusive. By Oren Ziv / Activestills.org Israel has been sending thousands of African asylum seekers back to their…

By Activestills August 18, 2015

Swedish-Eritrean journalist Meron Estefanos in 'Sound of Torture' (Screenshot)

WATCH: Listening to the ‘Sound of Torture’

A new Israeli film takes a disturbing look at the torture camps for Eritrean refugees in Sinai, and the Swedish-Eritrean journalist who has devoted herself to exposing the torture victims’ stories and ending their suffering. Related: A life of forced labor: Why Israel’s Eritrean refugees fled home Testimony: Sudanese refugee details torture by Sinai smugglers…

By Social TV October 31, 2014

Eritrean refugees living in Israel take part in a protest outside the Eritrean embassy in the city of Ramat Gan, February 1. 2013. The protesters were calling for the ousting of the dictatorship regime in Eritrea, and the release of all political prisoners. (Photo by: Yotam Ronen/ Activestills.org)

A life of forced labor: Why Israel’s Eritrean refugees fled home

Is Eritrea’s brutal dictatorship on the verge of collapse? By Elizabeth Tsurkov Israel is home to about 35,000 Eritrean asylum-seekers. While the Israeli government claims that they are work migrants, so as not to violate its own laws, Israel does not forcibly deport Eritreans back to their country of origin. As long as Eritrea is…

By +972 Magazine October 28, 2014

Aman's daughter, Dahab, at the Holot 'open detention center.' (photo: Ayla Pegg Adler)

Between Tel Aviv and Holot: Open jail splits refugee family

Six years after he fled Eritrea for Israel, Aman has found himself living in Holot – an ‘open detention center’ built by the Israeli government for African asylum seekers. His wife and his daughter, on the other hand, were left behind in Tel Aviv and are not permitted to live with him. By Ayla Peggy…

By +972 Magazine February 12, 2014

African asylum seekers march to Canadian embassy, calling on the international community to support their struggle against Israel's asylum policies. (photo: Activestills.org)

Day 2 of African asylum seeker protest: What do they want?

African asylum seekers are holding their second of a three-day national protest. On Monday, thousands of asylum seekers, most of whom are employed by hotels and restaurants, went on strike and held large rallies in front of Western and African embassies. The protesters are calling on the international community to make sure Israel respects its commitments under…

By Noam Sheizaf January 6, 2014

A woman carries a sign in support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, October 11, 2011 (Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

Why boycotts against Israel are fair game

Israel is unique in one very important way: for other malefactors like Syria and Sudan, there is no need to convince the international public of their wrongs. If it wasn’t a persuasive argument, Israel’s defenders wouldn’t keep using it, like they are now against Alice Walker: Why are these left-wingers singling Israel out for boycott,…

By Larry Derfner June 21, 2013

(photo: Sigal Rozen)

Court: Eritrean torture victim must remain in jail

It is clear that through its decision to leave the asylum seeker in custody, the court refused to recognized his particular situation. Thus, it rejected the possibility that will forever remain open before us: the possibility – which is both an obligation and a right — to discover compassion. By Asaf Weitzen Judge Eliyahu Beitan of…

By Laissez Passer February 25, 2013

Eritrean refugees living in Israel take part in a protest outside the Eritrean embassy in the city of Ramat Gan, February 1. 2013. The protesters were calling for the ousting of the dictatorship regime in Eritrea, and the release of all political prisoners. (Photo by: Yotam Ronen/ Activestills.org)

Eritreans in Israel face unique obstacles in protesting for their country’s future

Had the Israeli media paid attention to a protest by Eritrean refugees outside their embassy last week, the public would have learned something valuable about the Eritrean community in Israel: they desperately want a better future for their country so that one day soon, they can go home. By Sigal Rozen Over 200 Eritrean refugees gathered…

By +972 Magazine February 7, 2013