2023-09-03 17:40:03
After very violent clashes in Tel Aviv, the Israeli government is raising its voice. This Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thus indicated his intention to expel a thousand Eritreans who took part in the riots, which left dozens injured this weekend, including among the Israeli police.
On Saturday, a demonstration against an event organized by the Eritrean government degenerated. Clashes between police and protesters erupted, injuring nearly 140 people, including a dozen Eritrean asylum seekers who were hit by live ammunition from Israeli police.
At least 49 police officers injured
The clashes began when hundreds of Eritrean refugees tried to oppose the holding of a pro-Eritrean regime event in Tel Aviv. The Israeli police declared the meeting an illegal demonstration and ordered the evacuation of the street.
But protesters clashed with police who “used live ammunition against the rioters”, police said in a statement, adding that at least 49 of their members had been injured.
A “red line” crossed
On Sunday, the far-right Benjamin Netanyahu said these events had crossed a “red line.” “At the special ministerial committee that I set up today, we called for swift action, including the expulsion of a thousand supporters of the regime [érythréen] who took part in these riots,” he said in a statement.
“They obviously cannot claim to be refugees. They support this regime [érythréen]. If they support him that much, they can go back to their country,” he added.
According to statistics from June, 17,850 Eritrean asylum seekers are in Israel. Most arrived illegally through Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula several years ago and settled in poor neighborhoods of Tel Aviv.
#Benjamin #Netanyahu #plans #expel #Eritreans #clashes #Tel #Aviv