Israeli security forces detain an Eritrean protester in Tel Aviv. AFP
Israeli security forces detain an Eritrean protester in Tel Aviv. AFP
Israeli security forces detain an Eritrean protester in Tel Aviv. AFP
Israeli security forces detain an Eritrean protester in Tel Aviv. AFP

UN warns Israel not to deport Eritreans en masse


Thomas Helm
  • English
  • Arabic

The UN on Tuesday urged Israel not to undertake wide-scale deportations of Eritreans after riots broke out in Tel Aviv at the weekend following an event at the African country’s embassy.

More than 200 people were injured when anti-Eritrean government protesters clashed with supporters of the country’s regime at an event to mark its 30th anniversary.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he would pursue “harsh measures against the rioters, including the immediate deportation of those that took part”.

The UN’s refugee agency on Tuesday warned Israel’s government that mass deportations could “contravene international law”.

“UNHCR calls for calm and restraint, and on all parties to refrain from taking any steps that could aggravate the situation further,” the agency's spokesman William Spindler said.

Mr Netanyahu's hardline approach could also create more friction between the government and the judiciary, which has on a number of occasions overturned efforts to clamp down on illegal migration and limit the number of asylum seekers.

The Prime Minister’s right-wing coalition is currently trying to pass a radical overhaul of the judiciary, which opponents say could spell the end of democracy in the country.

Israel’s police have also come under fire for being underprepared to manage the event, which Eritrean community leaders warned could become violent.

About 25,000 asylum seekers from Africa live in Israel, mostly coming from Eritrea and Sudan.

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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

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Updated: September 05, 2023, 3:59 PM