Sudanese Refugees Face Harassment, Deportation in Israel
Sudanese and other African refugees fleeing persecution often do not find a welcome reception in Israel, writes Jillian Kestler-D’Amours from Tel Aviv.
TEL AVIV, Israel — Sitting on his bed in a cramped south Tel Aviv apartment, 28-year-old Adam Keala fishes a bright green Sudanese passport out of his backpack. Flipping to one of the pages, he points to four words: “All Countries Except Israel.”
“If anyone goes back, they will be killed or put in prison. 100%,” Keala says. “From 2011 until today, I know at least five people personally that are in prison [in Khartoum] because they had been to Israel. We cannot go back to Khartoum.”
Keala escaped war and genocide in his native Darfur region of Sudan. After a hazardous journey through Egypt — including escaping from Bedouin traffickers and narrowly avoiding being shot by Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai desert—he entered Israel through its southern border in 2005.
He spent two months in an Israeli prison before securing a “Conditional Release” visa. Renewed every few months, the permit does not allow Keala to legally work in Israel and provides him with no social rights or protections.
