2023 Eritrean clashes in Tel Aviv

Last updated

2023 Israeli Eritrean clashes
Part of Eritrea–Israel relations
Date2 September 2023
Location
Result Suppressed
Belligerents
Flag of Eritrea (1952-1961).svg Eritrean opposition immigrants

Flag of Eritrea.svg Eritrean pro-government immigrants

Flag of Israel.svg Government of Israel

Commanders and leaders
Flag of Eritrea (1952-1961).svg UnknownFlag of Eritrea.svg UnknownFlag of Israel.svg Benjamin Netanyahu
Casualties and losses
Flag of Eritrea (1952-1961).svg 84 injuredFlag of Eritrea.svg UnknownFlag of Israel.svg 30 injured

On 2 September 2023, violent clashes took place in the streets of South Tel Aviv between Eritrean migrants opposing Isaias Afwerki's government, migrant supporters of Isaias Afwerki's government, and later with Israeli police trying to restore order. [1] As a result of the clashes, more than 110 people were injured.

Contents

Background

Isaias Afwerki has ruled Eritrea since independence in 1991. The country does not hold elections and lacks a parliament, independent courts, and civil organizations. The country has a one-party system; freedom of expression and press are severely restricted. [2] There is also strict compulsory military service and a system of forced labor from which many Eritreans flee abroad. [3]

According to the Assaf refugee aid organization, there are currently about 25,500 Eritrean asylum seekers living in Israel. Eritreans who fled to Israel across the border with Egypt say they would face persecution if they were repatriated. [4] The refugees have settled in a number of poor neighborhoods in the city of Tel Aviv, Israel's economic capital. [1]

The clashes erupted during an event organized by the Eritrean embassy to mark Revolution Day on September 1, which commemorates the start of Eritrea's war of independence against Ethiopia in 1961. [4] Anti-government protesters had earlier asked police to cancel a pro-government event organized by the Eritrean embassy in Israel. They also accused the Eritrean embassy of trying to spy on them. [3] [5]

The protests came amid the judicial reform protests against Benjamin Netanyahu. [6]

Clashes

On 2 September, clashes broke out after hundreds of opposition Eritrean immigrant Eritreans, approached the site of a pro-government event. [3] Many of the anti-government demonstrators wore sky blue shirts inspired by the 1952 Eritrean flag, a symbol of opposition to the country's government, while government supporters wore purple shirts with a map of Eritrea. [7]

Protesters broke through police barriers and smashed the windows of police and other vehicles, as well as the windows of nearby shops, Haaretz newspaper reported. They were also able to enter the grounds outside the Eritrean embassy and smashed chairs and tables. [3]

Footage on social media showed Eritrean government supporters beating anti-government demonstrators with batons. Reuters journalists saw men with head wounds and bloody hands, some lying on the ground of a children's playground. [3] [4]

Al Jazeera correspondent Paul Brennan said that police did not expect the intensity of the violence that erupted. "The demonstrators managed to break through the barriers quite quickly. Police had to respond with tear gas and flash-bang grenades. There were running battles between the demonstrators and the police in riot equipment," he said. [3] Residents said the streets of central Tel Aviv sounded like a war zone as police helicopters buzzed overhead and Israeli officers fired live rounds into the air. [8]

Police said they have arrested 39 suspects who attacked police officers and pelted them with rocks. Some of them had guns, tear gas, and stun guns, officers said. Police also said they were reinforcing their personnel in the area as clashes between Eritreans among themselves and with police reportedly continued in south Tel Aviv. [3]

By the evening, the clashes had stopped. The police were still rounding up protesters, putting them on buses. [7]

Injuries

Israeli medical officials said more than 114 people were injured, including about 30 police officers. [4]

Reactions

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu said he would convene a meeting on 3 September to discuss measures against those involved in the clashes, including deportations. A statement from his office called them "illegal infiltrators". [7]

On 3 September, Netanyahu said the Eritreans involved in the Tel Aviv clashes should be deported. "We want harsh measures against the rioters, including the immediate deportation of those who took part," the prime minister said in a special ministerial meeting called to deal with the aftermath of the violence. Netanyahu requested his ministers present him with plans "for the removal of all the other illegal infiltrators", and noted in his remarks that the Supreme Court struck down some measures meant to coerce people to leave. [9]

An Israeli senior police officer said, "We were very surprised by the level of violence, with sights you see only in the West Bank." [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaias Afwerki</span> Eritrean politician and partisan (born 1946)

Isaias Afwerki is an Eritrean politician and partisan who has been the first and only president of Eritrea since 1993. In addition to being president, Isaias has been the chairman of Eritrea's sole legal political party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">October 2000 protests in Israel</span> Civil unrest among Israeli Arabs

The October 2000 protests, also known as October 2000 events, were a series of protests in Arab villages in northern Israel in October 2000 that turned violent, escalating into rioting by Israeli Arabs, which led to counter-rioting by Israeli Jews and clashes with the Israel Police and ending in the deaths of 13 Arab demonstrators and 1 Israeli Jew.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tel Aviv gay centre shooting</span> 2009 shooting at an Israeli gay centre that resulted in two deaths

The Tel Aviv gay centre shooting resulted in the deaths of two people and injuries to at least fifteen others at the Tel Aviv branch of the Israeli LGBT Association, at the "Bar-Noar", on Nahmani Street, on August 1, 2009. A 26-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were killed. Three deaths were mentioned in earlier reports of the incident but one has since been discounted.

Reactions to the Gaza flotilla raid on 31 May 2010 ranged from fierce condemnation to strong support for Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudanese in Israel</span>

Sudanese refugees in Israel refers to citizens of Sudan who have sought refuge in Israel due to military conflict at home, and to those who moved there illegally as migrant workers. In 2008, there were 4,000 Sudanese in Israel, 1,200 from Darfur and the remainder Christians from South Sudan. The majority entered through the Israeli-Egypt border. Most live in Tel Aviv, Arad, Eilat and Bnei Brak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African immigration to Israel</span> Movement from Africa to Israel of people that are not natives or Israeli citizens

African immigration to Israel is the international movement to Israel from Africa of people that are not natives or do not possess Israeli citizenship in order to settle or reside there. This phenomenon began in the second half of the 2000s, when a large number of people from Africa entered Israel, mainly through the then-lightly fenced border between Israel and Egypt in the Sinai Peninsula. According to the data of the Israeli Interior Ministry, 26,635 people arrived illegally in this way by July 2010, and over 55,000 by January 2012. In an attempt to curb the influx, Israel constructed the Egypt–Israel barrier. Since its completion in December 2013, the barrier has almost completely stopped the immigration of Africans into Israel across the Sinai border.

Nakba Day in 2011 was the annual day of commemoration for the Palestinian people marking the Nakba—the displacement that accompanied the creation of Israel in 1948. Generally held on May 15, commemorative events in 2011 began on May 10, in the form of march by Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel on Israel's Independence Day. On May 13, clashes between stone-throwing youths and Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem resulted in one Palestinian fatality, and clashes continued there and in parts of the West Bank in the days following.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Israeli social justice protests</span> Also known as J14 protests

The 2011 Israeli social justice protests, which are also referred to by various other names in the media, were a series of demonstrations in Israel beginning in July 2011 involving hundreds of thousands of protesters from a variety of socio-economic and religious backgrounds opposing the continuing rise in the cost of living and the deterioration of public services such as health and education. A common rallying cry at the demonstrations was the chant; "The people demand social justice!".

The following is a chronological summary of the major events that have been taking place during the 2011 Israeli social justice protests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eritrea–Israel relations</span> Bilateral relations

Eritrea–Israel relations are foreign relations between Eritrea and Israel. Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1993 following Eritrean independence. Eritrea has an embassy in Ramat Gan and Israel had an embassy in Asmara, that was closed in 2022. Their ties were considered as very close, but after 2020 the relations worsened. Both Eritrea and Israel have shared access to the Red Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015–2016 wave of violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict</span> Notable increase of violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

An increase of violence occurred in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict starting in the autumn of 2015 and lasting into the first half of 2016. It was called the "Intifada of the Individuals" by Israeli sources, the Knife Intifada, Stabbing Intifada or Jerusalem Intifada by international sources because of the many stabbings in Jerusalem, or Habba by Palestinian sources. 38 Israelis and 235 Palestinians were killed in the violence. 558 Israelis and thousands of Palestinians were injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel</span> 2017 U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital city

On December 6, 2017, the United States of America officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital city of the State of Israel. American president Donald Trump, who signed the presidential proclamation, also ordered the relocation of the American diplomatic mission to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, constituting what is now the Embassy of the United States in Jerusalem, which was established on the grounds of the former Consulate General of the United States in Jerusalem. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the decision and praised the announcement by the Trump administration. On December 8, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson clarified that Trump's statement "did not indicate any final status for Jerusalem" and "was very clear that the final status, including the borders, would be left to the two parties to negotiate and decide" in reference to the recognition's impact on the Israeli–Palestinian peace process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">November 2018 Gaza–Israel clashes</span> Botched Israeli covert operation and firefight in the Gaza Strip

Gaza-Israel clashes began on 11 November 2018, when a botched Israeli covert operation carried out in the Khan Yunis area of the southern Gaza Strip killed seven Palestinian militants and one Israeli soldier. Exchanges of fire lasted for two more days, until a cease fire was achieved with Egyptian mediation. Some minor incidents and protests followed some two weeks after the cease fire, with decreasing intensity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">July 2019 Ethiopian Jews protest in Israel</span> Anti-police brutality protest

The July 2019 Ethiopian Jews protest in Israel was a period of unrest initiated by Ethiopian Jews in response to the shooting death of 18-year-old Solomon Teka at the hands of an Israeli police officer in Kiryat Haim, Haifa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–2021 protests against Benjamin Netanyahu</span> Public protest in Israel

A series of protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, colloquially referred to as the Balfour Protests or Black Flag Protests, gained prominence in Israel throughout 2020 and 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing trial of Netanyahu for various corruption scandals. Protesters accused Netanyahu of subjecting the law as part of his fight in criminal proceedings against him. The demonstrators protested against Netanyahu's continued tenure in the shadow of his criminal charges, claims of his preference for personal good over the good of the state, and demands to investigate the "submarine affair". One of the hotspots most identified with the protests was the compound near the Prime Minister's Residence, on Balfour Street in Jerusalem. The protests concluded after the thirty-sixth government of Israel, headed by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid in a power-sharing agreement, was sworn in on 13 June 2021, ending Netanyahu's 12-year second tenure as prime minister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 protests in Israel</span> Ongoing protests against the COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions in Israel

Protests over COVID-19 policies in Israel refer to the series of protests by various social and political groups since April 2020. The protests are opposing lockdowns, mandatory vaccines, government restriction policies and vaccinations in general. The protests coincided with similar demonstrations and riots worldwide, though some of the earlier protests were linked to the specific 2019–2021 Israeli political crisis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Israeli judicial reform protests</span> Protests against the judicial reform initiated by the thirty-seventh government of Israel

From January to October 2023, large-scale protests took place across Israel in response to the government's push for a wide-ranging judicial reform. The proposed reform aimed to give the government full control of the Supreme Court or court decisions through various ways. The government also attempted to dismantle the Israel Bar Association and change the makeup of the Judicial Selection Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel–Hamas war protests in Israel</span> Protests related to the Israel–Hamas war in Israel

As a result of the Israel–Hamas war, nationwide protests have occurred across Israel, including rallies, demonstrations, campaigns, and vigils. These demonstrations occurred as part of broader war-related protests occurring worldwide. Israelis domestically and abroad have primarily called for the return of hostages held by Hamas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Israeli protests</span> Israeli anti-government protests

The 2024 Israeli protests are a series of demonstrations, instances of civil disorder, and riots against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, primarily sparked by the Israel–Hamas war and the hostage crisis. The protests aim to pressure Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire and reach a hostage deal. These protests began sporadically at the onset of the war but have grown significantly in size and intensity, culminating in massive gatherings across various Israeli cities. Smaller-scale protests have also occurred, including anti-war demonstrations and opposition to humanitarian aid efforts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">September 2024 Israel hostage deal protests</span>

On 1 September 2024, protests began in Israel after the Israel Defense Forces stated it had recovered six dead hostages taken by Hamas during its attack on Israel in October 2023, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

References

  1. 1 2 "Eritrean asylum seekers and police injured in clashes in Israel". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 2 September 2023. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  2. "Diaspora Eritreans protest regime human rights abuses". Al Jazeera. 23 June 2016. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Dozens of people injured in clashes between rival Eritrean groups in Israel". Al Jazeera. 2 September 2023. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Amichai, Rami (2 September 2023). "More than 100 injured in Eritrean clashes in Tel Aviv". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  5. Barnea, Yuval (2 September 2023). "Why are Eritreans rioting against their regime in Israel?". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  6. "'Our democracy is in danger': Protesters rally for 35th week against overhaul". www.timesofisrael.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 Zwigenberg, Ohad; McNeil, Sam (2 September 2023). "Rival Eritrean groups clash in Israel, leaving dozens hurt in worst confrontation in recent memory". AP News. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  8. Knell, Yolande (2 September 2023). "Israel: Police clash with Eritrean asylum seekers". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  9. "Netanyahu says Eritreans involved in Tel Aviv clashes should be deported". The Guardian. Associated Press. 3 September 2023. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  10. "An Avoidable Clash in Tel Aviv". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.