Ethiopian asylum seekers in Israel face deportation after years without permanent status

Ethiopian asylum seekers in Israel, many of whom have lived there for years and raised families, face deportation after the High Court upheld a decision to revoke their group protection. This protection was initially granted in November 2021 due to civil war in Ethiopia but was withdrawn in January 2024 by then-Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, who cited improved security conditions. Israel's asylum approval rate is approximately 0.1%, one of the lowest globally, with only about five people granted refugee status annually.

• Many asylum seekers, like Endalkew Yemani Tesma, arrived in Israel after perilous journeys and have been living with renewable 2(a)5 visas for nearly two decades.
• The Population and Immigration Authority has begun processing individual asylum claims, some untouched for years, often rejecting them and instructing individuals to leave the country or face deportation.
• HIAS Israel, an organization originally founded to assist Jewish refugees, is now representing non-Jewish Ethiopian asylum seekers in court, arguing that Israel lacks a mechanism to claim protection under the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to countries where they face danger.
• Critics argue that Israel's low approval rate and bureaucratic delays are deliberate, with Sigal Rozen of the Hotline for Refugees and Migrants stating, “They want to make life as difficult as possible, so that people give up and leave.”