Published on 10:32 AM, March 25, 2018
Thousands of Africans protest Israeli deportation plan
African migrants hold signs bearing Hebrew text of an extract from Exodus 23:9 from the Bible: "thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger" (King James Bible), during a demonstration in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv on February 24, 2018, against the Israeli government's policy to forcibly deport African refugees and asylum seekers to Rwanda and Uganda. Photo: AFP
AP, Tel Aviv, Israel
Thousands of African asylum seekers and their local supporters are protesting against an Israeli plan to deport them.
The Israeli government says the migrants have to leave the country for an unnamed African destination in exchange for $3,500 and a plane ticket, or they will be incarcerated indefinitely.
The Africans, nearly all from dictatorial Eritrea and war-torn Sudan, say they feel great appreciation for Israel, coupled with dread over the looming expulsions.
Israel considers the vast majority of the nearly 40,000 migrants to be job seekers and says it has no legal obligation to keep them. Critics have called the government plan unethical and a stain on Israel's image as a refuge for Jewish migrants.
Organizers say some 15,000 gathered in front of Tel Aviv City Hall Saturday.
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