Eritrean refugees in Israel express concern at the tough government measures targeting them
Eritrean refugees in Israel, who make up the majority of the recent African influx to the Jewish state, expressed concern after the Israeli government announced last week plans to stem the growing number of illegal
Eritrean refugees in Israel, who make up the majority of the recent African influx to the Jewish state, expressed concern after the Israeli government announced last week plans to stem the growing number of illegal African immigrants.
Eritrean refugee representatives in Israel interviewed by demo.archive.assenna.com today said Eritrean refugees who reached Israel after the ‘journey of death’ via the Sinai desert are extremely worried if the tough talk by the Israeli cabinet, especially the forced deportation hinted by the government is going to be implemented.
The Israeli media have last week hinted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to visit Eritrea and Sudan to convince the leaders to accept returnees. However, the Eritrean government is known for torturing and prosecuting Eritreans who are forced back to the country. In the past few years many Eritrean deportees from Malta and Libya have ended up in prison cells and had been prosecuted. In the backdrop of this bitter experience, Eritrean refugees are craving themselves this is just a ‘tough talk’.
Democratic countries in the west recognise the harsh political situation in Eritrea, and forced deportations of Eritrean refugees are very rare. Likewise, Eritrean refugees in Israel expect similar restraints from the Israeli government.
The refugee representatives who spoke of their understanding of the Israeli society’s unease to maintain their Jewish identify; also said they should remember their past experience to refrain from taking hasty decisions that would endanger others and compromise their morality.
While insisting on to continue campaigning to make the Israeli government more aware of the dire political situation in Eritrea, which is difficult for them to return to; they called upon their country men and women to work hand in hand to bring about democratic change in their homeland so that they will have a fundamental solution to the problem – a solution mutually beneficial to Israeli and Eritrean societies. “No Eritrean is willing to leave home for economic reasons” they said “Our desire is to lead a free, peaceful and stabilised life in our own country as first class citizens; we are forced to leave home and family behind by the dictatorial regime and forced return will never be a solution for us.”
The interview will be aired on Assenna Radio today.
DoNOTtworry December 16, 2011
is only rethoric. Israel needs still more slaves in reality!
Abdi December 16, 2011
You can’t say otherwise to get granted the refuge status,however you you don’t have to worry about returning to Eritrea the gov’t will not accept deportees not because of the pathetic reasons you mentioned here but because the gov’t doesn’t want people who ever reached to a better destination to return home empty handed.hence his policy regarding asylum seeking is”defame the govt as much as you can inorder to fill the criteria”,so don’t worry about deportation and don’t fear of being held accountable for what you say.
DIA is 100% not Eritrean-actually he is anti Eritreans December 17, 2011
the best option out of this dilemma for the Eritrean youth is to stay at home and fight DIA until he is down and we regain our country and human dignity and free ourselves from a slavery. actually it is the only option that we have at the moment. Fleeing our country is not working for our young people. If the government and his puppets are wise enough.. they should be alarmed now. the only reason that PFDJ are actively smuggling Eritrean youths out is because they know keeping them inside Eritrea is risky that scares scared a shit out of them. They only thing PIA is interested in is how to keep his power until he dies. SO far the only people who are dying at their home and abroad are Eritreans while PIA lives sucking their blood.But he is wise enough not to let his power grip lose. coz as soon as he does that, he has to answer a lot of bloody questions that would cost him nothing less than his life! so it is dire situation but we have to face it!