Post by Teddy Bear on Jan 5, 2014 22:40:18 GMT
Back in December 2010, the BBC reported about the influx of illegal immigrants into Israel from countries like Sudan, Eritrea, and other 'troubled' African nations. Though they headline the article Illegal African migrants present quandary for Israel, they don't actually explain the real nature of that quandary. So the reader is left with the impression that the problem with these immigrants is much like the problem people have with immigration in this country.
Perhaps too, the reader might infer that racism is at the core of this quandary, and that Israel doesn't want this influx of black Africans migrants.
This might be the conclusion, certainly of any ignorant reader, on which the BBC preys, who was not aware of Operation Solomon in 1991, when Israel airlifted 14,000 Ethiopian Jews and brought them to safety in Israel. The actual final airlifts of these Ethiopians was in August last year when 450 were brought in. This was even reported by the BBC at the time.
So what the BBC is not telling you now is the real quandary for Israel with these illegal immigrants.
They are not Jews!
The whole purpose of Israel's existence is to be a land populated and ruled by Jews. A haven for any and every Jew in the world. They also want to be a democracy, which is why there are Arab politicians in their government. The reason that Israel needs a 2 state solution with the Palestinians is they cannot absorb that additional number of Arabs and retain Jewish control. The Palestinians are well aware of this of course, which is why they resist legally agreeing to a deal which would finalise this, and make the return of those Palestinian 'refugees' who fled Israel during the various conflicts in that region, part of the 'deal', knowing full well it would put an end to Israel.
So let's look first at the article from 2010:
The reason this story is an issue today is because thousands of these African illegal immigrants, who it must be remembered came through Egypt - a safe country at the time, though a far more perilous journey to continue to Israel, just held a protest in Tel-Aviv about their treatment.
One can just imagine how Egypt today, let alone the far more radical countries in the area would be dealing with these protesters. But Israel allows them to protest.
So how does the BBC cover this story?
First of all - no mention now that they are ILLEGAL migrants. Now they are just MIGRANTS.
And no mention of what the problem would really be for Israel to concede to their demands - That illusive 'quandary'.
Perhaps too, the reader might infer that racism is at the core of this quandary, and that Israel doesn't want this influx of black Africans migrants.
This might be the conclusion, certainly of any ignorant reader, on which the BBC preys, who was not aware of Operation Solomon in 1991, when Israel airlifted 14,000 Ethiopian Jews and brought them to safety in Israel. The actual final airlifts of these Ethiopians was in August last year when 450 were brought in. This was even reported by the BBC at the time.
So what the BBC is not telling you now is the real quandary for Israel with these illegal immigrants.
They are not Jews!
The whole purpose of Israel's existence is to be a land populated and ruled by Jews. A haven for any and every Jew in the world. They also want to be a democracy, which is why there are Arab politicians in their government. The reason that Israel needs a 2 state solution with the Palestinians is they cannot absorb that additional number of Arabs and retain Jewish control. The Palestinians are well aware of this of course, which is why they resist legally agreeing to a deal which would finalise this, and make the return of those Palestinian 'refugees' who fled Israel during the various conflicts in that region, part of the 'deal', knowing full well it would put an end to Israel.
So let's look first at the article from 2010:
Illegal African migrants present quandary for Israel
In recent years, thousands of African migrants have crossed illegally into Israel along its border with Egypt, which stretches for 250km (155 miles). The Israeli government has now started building a huge barrier, costing more than $370m (£230m) to try to stem the flow. The BBC's Wyre Davies reports from the border.
We came across them by the roadside, no more than a couple of kilometres inside Israeli territory.
Sixty-five people, including five children, who had just made the perilous journey across the Sinai desert and Israel's southern border with Egypt.
The Sinai is tens of thousands of square kilometres of nothing but sand and emptiness - it must be one of the most inhospitable places on earth.
But such obstacles had not stopped the desperate people I spoke to. They had risked everything - leaving behind homes and families in Sudan, Eritrea and other troubled African nations.
Even though they had been caught by an Israeli border patrol and were not really sure what to expect next, they said they now felt relatively safe.
That's because many migrants are fleeing persecution and poverty in their own countries, and even travelling across Egypt and the Sinai is fraught with danger.
Human rights groups accuse Egyptian border guards of shooting indiscriminately at them. Although officials insist they only fire at those who ignore repeated orders to stop, since July 2007, at least 85 people have been shot and killed trying to cross into Israel.
Many are also abused by the networks of trafficking gangs, who charge huge fees to transport them across the desert.
Abdum, who said he had made the long journey from Eritrea, knew that after he was "processed" the Israelis would probably allow him to remain, albeit temporarily, and he might even be able to find work.
"We came to Israel just to protect ourselves, to claim asylum," he said as he and his fellow travellers waited patiently under an awning outside an Israeli military base. "Coming here is a dream for me. I love Israel and I want to stay here."
While some migrants say they are political refugees, many, like the dozens of men we later came across in the town of Eilat, are clearly looking for employment.
It is thought that as many as 700 African migrants are crossing into Israel from Egypt every week.
Unprotected border
Long tracks across the desert indicate the well-worn routes taken by thousands of migrants across what is, in many areas, a completely unprotected border.
Earlier this year, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to build a barrier. Work finally started last month.
However, many in the local tourism sector say that is the wrong approach.
They need cheap foreign labour and say more, albeit legal, migration should be encouraged.
Increasingly, low-paid jobs that used to be done by Palestinian workers - who are now unable to enter Israel - are being filled by African migrants.
They wait tables, clean rooms and keep the beachfront clean.
"In the hotel industry in Eilat we need about 1,500 employees in those jobs. There are no Israelis who want to do the jobs even though we offer them wonderful conditions," says David Bloom, a senior manager for the Isrotel chain in Eilat.
Even when the wall is completed, it will not extend to less accessible areas along the length of the border.
Despite the many dangers along the route, desperate migrants are unlikely to be deterred by Israel's latest attempt to keep them out.
In recent years, thousands of African migrants have crossed illegally into Israel along its border with Egypt, which stretches for 250km (155 miles). The Israeli government has now started building a huge barrier, costing more than $370m (£230m) to try to stem the flow. The BBC's Wyre Davies reports from the border.
We came across them by the roadside, no more than a couple of kilometres inside Israeli territory.
Sixty-five people, including five children, who had just made the perilous journey across the Sinai desert and Israel's southern border with Egypt.
The Sinai is tens of thousands of square kilometres of nothing but sand and emptiness - it must be one of the most inhospitable places on earth.
But such obstacles had not stopped the desperate people I spoke to. They had risked everything - leaving behind homes and families in Sudan, Eritrea and other troubled African nations.
Even though they had been caught by an Israeli border patrol and were not really sure what to expect next, they said they now felt relatively safe.
That's because many migrants are fleeing persecution and poverty in their own countries, and even travelling across Egypt and the Sinai is fraught with danger.
Human rights groups accuse Egyptian border guards of shooting indiscriminately at them. Although officials insist they only fire at those who ignore repeated orders to stop, since July 2007, at least 85 people have been shot and killed trying to cross into Israel.
Many are also abused by the networks of trafficking gangs, who charge huge fees to transport them across the desert.
Abdum, who said he had made the long journey from Eritrea, knew that after he was "processed" the Israelis would probably allow him to remain, albeit temporarily, and he might even be able to find work.
"We came to Israel just to protect ourselves, to claim asylum," he said as he and his fellow travellers waited patiently under an awning outside an Israeli military base. "Coming here is a dream for me. I love Israel and I want to stay here."
While some migrants say they are political refugees, many, like the dozens of men we later came across in the town of Eilat, are clearly looking for employment.
It is thought that as many as 700 African migrants are crossing into Israel from Egypt every week.
Unprotected border
Long tracks across the desert indicate the well-worn routes taken by thousands of migrants across what is, in many areas, a completely unprotected border.
Earlier this year, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to build a barrier. Work finally started last month.
However, many in the local tourism sector say that is the wrong approach.
They need cheap foreign labour and say more, albeit legal, migration should be encouraged.
Increasingly, low-paid jobs that used to be done by Palestinian workers - who are now unable to enter Israel - are being filled by African migrants.
They wait tables, clean rooms and keep the beachfront clean.
"In the hotel industry in Eilat we need about 1,500 employees in those jobs. There are no Israelis who want to do the jobs even though we offer them wonderful conditions," says David Bloom, a senior manager for the Isrotel chain in Eilat.
Even when the wall is completed, it will not extend to less accessible areas along the length of the border.
Despite the many dangers along the route, desperate migrants are unlikely to be deterred by Israel's latest attempt to keep them out.
The reason this story is an issue today is because thousands of these African illegal immigrants, who it must be remembered came through Egypt - a safe country at the time, though a far more perilous journey to continue to Israel, just held a protest in Tel-Aviv about their treatment.
One can just imagine how Egypt today, let alone the far more radical countries in the area would be dealing with these protesters. But Israel allows them to protest.
So how does the BBC cover this story?
First of all - no mention now that they are ILLEGAL migrants. Now they are just MIGRANTS.
And no mention of what the problem would really be for Israel to concede to their demands - That illusive 'quandary'.
African migrants in Israel protest in Tel Aviv
Thousands of African migrants have marched in the city of Tel Aviv to protest against their treatment by the Israeli government.
The protesters, mostly Eritreans and Sudanese, are angry about a law that allows illegal immigrants to be detained for a year without trial.
They demanded the right to work legally and for their asylum bids to be processed.
An Israeli police spokeswoman said the march was peaceful.
"We are all refugees" and "Yes to freedom, no to prison!" they chanted.
'Clear cry'
The BBC's Richard Galpin in Jerusalem says the protest was prompted by the new law on detention, which had dashed hopes that a recent crackdown would be halted.
The migrants, some of whom have been in Israel for years and have taken low-paid jobs, say they are all refugees who have fled persecution and conflict back home in Eritrea and Sudan.
A new detention law is one of the major grievances
They say their only choice will be either to spend time in prison in Israel or agree to return home.
The dangers in their home countries mean they cannot be forcibly returned.
The migrants said they would hold further demonstrations outside UN offices and foreign embassies in Tel Aviv on Monday.
An Israeli official said the authorities would continue to deal with people who, as she put it, had infiltrated Israel, adding that more than 2,600 had agreed to leave voluntarily last year.
Ultra-Orthodox MP Eli Yishai said the migrants had been encouraged by "anti-Zionist human rights organisations".
He told the Maariv daily the protest was "a sharp and clear cry for the state of Israel and judicial and law enforcement authorities to apply all the means at their disposal to return the infiltrators to their countries".
Thousands of African migrants have marched in the city of Tel Aviv to protest against their treatment by the Israeli government.
The protesters, mostly Eritreans and Sudanese, are angry about a law that allows illegal immigrants to be detained for a year without trial.
They demanded the right to work legally and for their asylum bids to be processed.
An Israeli police spokeswoman said the march was peaceful.
"We are all refugees" and "Yes to freedom, no to prison!" they chanted.
'Clear cry'
The BBC's Richard Galpin in Jerusalem says the protest was prompted by the new law on detention, which had dashed hopes that a recent crackdown would be halted.
The migrants, some of whom have been in Israel for years and have taken low-paid jobs, say they are all refugees who have fled persecution and conflict back home in Eritrea and Sudan.
A new detention law is one of the major grievances
They say their only choice will be either to spend time in prison in Israel or agree to return home.
The dangers in their home countries mean they cannot be forcibly returned.
The migrants said they would hold further demonstrations outside UN offices and foreign embassies in Tel Aviv on Monday.
An Israeli official said the authorities would continue to deal with people who, as she put it, had infiltrated Israel, adding that more than 2,600 had agreed to leave voluntarily last year.
Ultra-Orthodox MP Eli Yishai said the migrants had been encouraged by "anti-Zionist human rights organisations".
He told the Maariv daily the protest was "a sharp and clear cry for the state of Israel and judicial and law enforcement authorities to apply all the means at their disposal to return the infiltrators to their countries".
