Recent attacks against African asylum seekers in Tel Aviv are raising important questions for the state of Israel.
Advocates say the migrants are victims of racism, discrimination and decades of poor policy.
But some citizens and politicians argue the rising number of “infiltrators” – as they call them – is leading to crime and a fall in living standards.
On May 6, two firebombs hit a residence in south Tel Aviv that is home to African asylum seekers. Less than two weeks earlier, a number of molotov cocktails were launched into four homes and one kindergarten in Israel’s refugee community of Shapira. Tensions have grown in recent months between Israelis and African asylum seekers from countries such as Eritrea and Sudan.
In this episode of The Stream, we speak to journalist Mya Guarnieri; Sanjeev Bery, Middle East Director at Amnesty International; Yohannes Bayu, Founder and Executive Director for the African Refugee Development Center; and David Sheen, Israeli filmmaker.
Read the rest of this story on Aljazeera.com
