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“This disturbance, the bloodshed, these are things that we cannot tolerate,” Israeli prime minister says during discussion on riot that broke out between rival factions of Eritrean asylum seekers.
By United with Israel Staff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday convened a special ministerial team to evaluate ways to handle infiltrators who violate the law, in the wake of the violent riots in Tel Aviv.
On Saturday, more than 170 were injured, including 49 police officers, during violent clashes between rival factions of Eritrean asylum seekers in southern Tel Aviv.
Rioters used rocks, clubs and other weapons against police and other rioters, while local businesses and parked vehicles were vandalized. Thirty nine were arrested, with more arrests expected in coming days.
At the discussion, Prime Minister Netanyahu said the government was seeking the “immediate expulsion” of those who took part in the riots.
“The massive illegal infiltration into Israel from Africa constituted a tangible threat to the future of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. We blocked this threat by building a fence, which entailed overcoming the opposition of the security establishment and political rivals. When we blocked it, we completely stopped the infiltration, and I am proud that my governments that did this,” he said.
“There remains the problem of those who entered before the fence was completed, some tens of thousands of illegal infiltrators who entered the country,” Netanyahu continued. “We voluntarily repatriated 12,000 of them with various incentives and measures. We wanted more. We proposed a series of steps, including the deposit, but unfortunately all of them were rejected by the High Court of Justice.”
“There is one thing that we did not propose and it is good that we did not – the UN outline. The UN outline would have given citizenship to 16,000 illegal infiltrators and would have created a major incentive for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Africans who would have again stormed the State of Israel. Therefore, it is a bad solution. Whoever proposes this, proposes something that would move the problem backward.
“Now there remains the serious problem of the illegal infiltrators in southern Tel Aviv and other places, but what happened yesterday crossed a red line. This disturbance, the bloodshed, these are things that we cannot tolerate,” he said.
“Therefore, the first thing that I am doing is to wish a full recovery to the police officers who were injured in the effort to restore order. We are seeking strong steps against the rioters, including the immediate expulsion of those who took part. It is hard for me to understand why we would have a problem with those who declare that they support the regime; they certainly cannot claim refugee status,” he continued.
“I would also like this forum to prepare a complete and updated plan to repatriate all of the remaining illegal infiltrators from the State of Israel; this is the purpose of our meeting today,” Netanyahu added.
Also participating in the meeting were the Justice Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Finance Minister, the National Security Minister, the Interior Minister, the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, the Director of the National Security Council, the Israel Police Inspector General, the Director General of the Prime Minister’s Office, the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Head of the National Public Diplomacy Directorate, the State Attorney, the Deputy Attorney General and the Director General of the Population and Immigration Authority.
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