Israeli plans to imprison all illegal African immigrants who do not leave the country before the end of March 2018.
As one of numerous attempts to stop their deportation from Israel, African migrants are protesting in cities like Tel Aviv, in front of embassies, with their faces painted white.
This form of protest serves to suggest that racism is a major factor in their expulsion, implying that they are being sent back to home countries where their lives are in danger because their black lives are of no value to the Israeli State.
In recent months, Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu has spoken about how Israel is struggling to cope with what he calls a migrant crisis.
Israel wants no illegal immigrants
Now, weeks after offering its citizens 9,000 dollars to capture African immigrants, Israel is making good on its promise to arrest and expel unregistered African immigrants, albeit a month early.
Presently, the United Nations estimates that there are nearly 40,000 African migrants in Israel, the bulk of them being Eritreans and Sudanese.
Most of the refugees have fled adverse conditions in their home countries which, like Sudan, have been ravaged by war, economic hardship and in the Eritrean case, corruption.
However, in the eye of Israeli officials, these reasons do not validate the influx of Africans into the country. The Israeli public claim the immigrants came instead to steal jobs and economic opportunities.
To show that it is desperate for them to leave, Israel has proposed giving each migrant $3,500 to leave it borders, either to their home country or an alternative country where they are welcome.
The country had previously stated that it would begin sending dissenting migrants to prison by the end of March.
But recently, seven Eritreans who refused to be deported to Rwanda were arrested and detained, suggesting the process has been accelerated.
Protests have followed the imprisonment of the Eritreans in the Saharonim Prison in the south of Israel.
“Do black lives matter in Israel?”
Across the streets of Israel, African migrants have turned out in protest carrying cardboard sheets with messages such as “DO BLACK LIVES MATTER IN ISRAEL?” and “DEPORTED TO DEATH BECAUSE I’M BLACK”.
Many of them do not know what their fates will be come the end of March.
The influx of Africans into the Middle East and Europe has created one of the worst migrant crises in recent history.
Across Eupoean countries, many Africans, Nigerians included, scurry at night to evade law enforcement and avoid being deported.
The biggest story out of this crisis has come out of Libya.
As 2017 wound down in its final weeks, first-person accounts and footage of Nigerians and other African nationals being sold into slavery in slave markets across the North African country shocked the world.
As it stands, there are no benefits to this sad trend. It is clear that the migrants’ lives do not matter to the Israeli government as it should in their home countries.
The grim reality that many of them may be reluctant to admit is that painting their faces white in protest may not change anything.
Source: Pulse.ng
