Israelis protesting pending deportation of African migrants
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An Israeli government plan to deport tens of thousands of African migrants has sparked an unexpected backlash from liberal Israelis and their American Jewish allies who say Israel — established in the wake of the Holocaust — should never be turning away those in need.
The showdown could come to a head on April 1, when the state plans to start expelling Africans, some of whom have been in Israel for years, to an uncertain fate.
The government insists all but a select few are economic migrants. But critics charge they are mostly bona fide refugees fleeing persecution and that kicking them out would threaten their lives.
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In recent weeks, Israeli pilots, doctors, writers, former ambassadors and Holocaust survivors have all urged the government to halt the deportation plan.