Israel: Protests over migrant policy in Nitzana Feb. 22

Event

Hundreds of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa staged a demonstration outside of the Saharonim Penitentiary in Nitzana on Thursday, February 22. According to local sources, the demonstrators staged a march from the Holot Detention Center to the nearby Saharonim prison to protest Israel's new policy of deporting or imprisoning migrants who have entered the country illegally and lack asylum claims under consideration.

Thousands of people are expected to participate in related demonstrations in southern Tel Aviv on the evening (local time) of Saturday, February 24. Additional protests are possible in Nitzana, southern Tel Aviv, and other areas with large migrant populations in the coming days and weeks. A heightened security presence and associated traffic disruptions are expected in the vicinity of any protest.

Context

Some 700 sub-Saharan African migrants are currently interned at the Holot Detention Center. On February 20, detained migrants launched a hunger strike to protest Israeli migrant policy. According to the Israeli Ministry of the Interior, some 42,000 sub-Saharan African migrants are currently present in Israel, 50 percent of which face deportation, or imprisonment, if they do not leave Israel by April 1.

Advice

Individuals in Israel are advised to monitor developments to the situation, avoid all protests and demonstrations as a precaution, and to adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities.

In general, due to the underlying terrorist threat, travelers in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip are advised to report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and to remain vigilant when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted in an attack (popular gatherings, public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, etc.). As a reminder, some Western governments advise their citizens against travel to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and areas near the Israeli-Lebanese, Israeli-Syrian, and Israeli-Egyptian borders.