Last update - 00:00 04/11/2007
Protesters, refugees call for better treatment of asylum-seekers
By Tamara Traubmann, Haaretz Correspondent
Hundreds of people, including refugees, their Israeli supporters and human rights activists, took part in a march in Tel Aviv on Friday to protest the state's treatment of refugees and to demand they receive education, health care, welfare and other social benefits.
The march began on Rothschild Boulevard and ended outside the Cinematheque with a "protest carnival," partially aimed at illustrating the social and cultural wealth the refugees bring to Israel.
Israel is host to thousands of refugees, many of whom have no rights and live under constant threat of deportion to their home countries. About 400 refugees and asylum seekers are being held in detention centers.
The event organizers, which include the African Refugees Development Center, the Hotline for Migrant Workers and Amnesty International, said the march was in protest of the Israeli establishment's apathy toward the refugees, as well as the policy of deporting them to the countries they fled.
In 1954, Israel adopted the United Nations Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons. However, no legislation has been passed granting refugees rights.
A draft bill on refugee rights, sponsored by MKs Ophir Pines-Paz and Dov Khenin, will be brought for a vote to the Ministerial Legislative and Law Enforcement Committee. If the committee does not approve it, it is likely to be rejected by the Knesset as well. The bill would provide a legal framework for refugee rights, including procedures for evaluating eligibility for refugee status and arranging for accommodations and basic provisions until a permanent solution is found.
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