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African migrants in Israel protest against harsh conditions at detention centres

February 10, 2014 at 10:14 am

Hundreds of African migrants in Israel escaped from a detention camp and marched towards Jerusalem on Tuesday to protest against the Israeli authorities’ harsh measures against them, including forcing them to live under conditions that are similar to concentration camps.


The migrants broke out of the newly opened Holot detention centre in southern Israel, after many months of imprisonment in a similar facility. The Holot detention centre opened its doors last Thursday when 484 migrants from Africa were transferred there. They are not allowed to leave the facility at night or travel around Israel freely. The migrants are calling for their full freedom.

Mass media reported that the march passed through Be’er Shiva and is heading towards the Israeli government compound in Jerusalem. The migrants have already walked 50 km despite the extreme winter weather, and were joined by activists and members of Knesset.

According to Israeli newspaper Maariv, so far police have not arrested any of the marchers. However, the newspaper pointed out that the migrants could soon be arrested, as they are not allowed to be absent from the Holot detention centre for more than 48 hours.

African migrants, especially those from Sudan and Eritrea, suffer from racial discrimination in Israel. Right wing Knesset members have called for their expulsion, even when they are refugees.

On Sunday, Israel’s financial newspaper Globes revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to secretly employ his right wing ally, journalist and former diplomat Boaz Bismot, to manage the forced expulsion of African migrants. According to classified documents obtained by the newspaper, the prime minister had proposed offering him lavish bonuses for arranging for the deportation of migrants from Israel, on top of a salary well above the compensation offered to public servants in comparable positions.