Israelis detain Africans

By Josef Federman, Associated Press
Posted: June 12, 2012

JERUSALEM - Israeli authorities detained dozens of African migrants in predawn raids early Monday, in the first major step toward what leaders say will be deportation of 4,500 people who have entered the country illegally.

The arrests were the harshest move yet against migrants, reflecting growing concern about the effect on Israel of tens of thousands of Africans who have sneaked into the country across the porous Egyptian border in recent years.

Israeli leaders have grown increasingly alarmed by the influx, calling it a burden and threat to the country's Jewish character.

Interior Ministry spokeswoman Sabine Hadad said 55 people, including 45 from South Sudan, were rounded up in Monday's raids, which took place in several towns across the country. More raids were planned in the coming days, she said.

In the Red Sea tourist town of Eilat, Channel 10 TV showed images of migrants quietly piling suitcases and belongings in the back of a police truck before being driven away.

The crackdown came in the wake of a landmark court decision last week that cleared the way for the expulsion of 4,500 migrants. The order applies only to people who come from nations that have friendly relations with Israel, mostly from the newly established state of South Sudan.

These people, however, represent only a small percentage of the estimated 60,000 Africans now in Israel. Some claim asylum, while others are simply looking for work in a relatively prosperous country.

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