Israeli mood turns against migrants

Many want government to halt influx of people from war-torn Sudan amid rising tensions over increase in crime rates.

Hundreds of Israelis took to the streets in south Tel Aviv on Thursday to protest against the mass migration from Sudan as a result of the strife in the African nation.

Some Israelis now want the government to tighten the rules on immigration, and to even send the migrants back home.

Tensions have been building for months as migrants are blamed for an increase in burglary and crime.

The protesters shouted “Sudanese go home” – a reference to the thousands of Sudanese who have travelled through Egypt to Israel. Many were smuggled into the country via the Sinai Peninsula.

Israeli politicians are now responding to this fear and anger, with the interior minister trying to push a mass-expulsion order through the courts.

Al Jazeera’s Sue Turton reports from Tel Aviv.

Source: Al Jazeera