1000S OF AFRICANS DENOUNCE ISRAEL REFUGEE POLICIES
Tel Aviv, 7 Rabi’ul Awwal 1435/9 January 2014 (MINA) – Thousands of African migrants in Israel have staged a demonstration to protest against Tel Aviv’s policies towards refugees.
The undocumented African migrants rallied outside Israel’s parliament in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld put the number of the demonstrators at “more than 10,000.” Press Tv reported as quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).
In an open letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published in a statement, the migrants’ representatives demanded that Israel process their asylum requests and release migrants from detention centers.
Thousands of the Africans have been staging protests in response to Israel’s implementation of an anti-infiltration law, which allows the Israeli regime to jail refugees for a long time without charge or deport them to their countries where their lives are often in danger.
On Saturday, the African Refugees Development Center (ARDC) announced plans to hold more protests against Tel Aviv’s policies.
The demonstrators have been calling for the freedom of all imprisoned refugees.
In mid-December, 2013, Tel Aviv began operating a new detention facility for the African refugees in Negev.
Human Right Watch has said that Tel Aviv used the “threat of prolonged detention” to force the African migrants to give up their asylum claims, adding, “Israel should end its unlawful detention policy and release all asylum seekers.” (T/P012/E1)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
