One Day After Clashes in Tel Aviv; Netanyahu Calls for the Expulsion of Eritrean Migrants from Israel

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, said on Sunday that he wants Eritrean migrants who were involved in a violent clash in Tel Aviv to be immediately expelled from the country. According to the Associated Press, he also stated that he has ordered a plan for the removal of all African migrants from the country. In recent years, Israel has witnessed an influx of migrants from African countries through its land border with Egypt and has built a security fence and reinforced its border to prevent their entry. Many of these migrants have settled in southern Tel Aviv. A day before Netanyahu's remarks, rival Eritrean groups clashed in southern Tel Aviv, resulting in dozens of injuries. During the Saturday clash, Eritrean migrant groups fought with sticks, metal pieces, and stones, broke shop windows, and Israeli police mounted officers arrived on the scene to disperse them. The issue of immigration to Israel and the demographic changes in southern Tel Aviv, along with the repatriation of these migrants, has long divided Israel. While Israel is embroiled in disputes over judicial reforms, supporters of the reforms argue that the courts have been an obstacle to the expulsion of migrants to Africa, and thus judicial reforms are necessary. In a special ministerial meeting convened to address the aftermath of the violence in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu stated, 'We want strict measures against the rioters, including the immediate expulsion of those who participated.' He asked his ministers to present plans to force the exit of illegal migrants from Israel. According to international law, Israel cannot forcibly return migrants to a country where their lives or freedoms are at risk. Prior to an official trip to Cyprus, Netanyahu mentioned that his ministerial team is seeking to expel a thousand supporters of the Eritrean government who participated in Saturday's violence. Approximately 25,000 African migrants, mostly from Sudan and Eritrea, live in Israel and claim to have fled conflict or repression in their countries. Israel recognizes very few of them as refugees and primarily considers them economic migrants, stating that it has no legal obligation to keep them. Similar protests and unrest involving Eritrean groups have previously been reported in Norway and Sweden.