Stop the Deportation of Ethiopian Asylum Seekers from Israel to a War Zone
​Decision Makers:
​Minister of the Interior, Moshe Arbel
​The Population and Immigration Authority of Israel
​The Knesset Committee on Interior and Environment
​The Petition:
​We urgently call on the Israeli government to halt the imminent deportation of Ethiopian asylum seekers. The Population and Immigration Authority has ordered Ethiopian nationals to leave Israel within months, claiming that it is safe to return. This decision blatantly ignores the reality on the ground.
​Why this matters:
​Ethiopia is currently in the midst of severe internal conflict. Despite government claims of stability, reports from international human rights organizations confirm that the country is suffering from active war, violent government crackdowns on dissent, and gross violations of human rights.
​Sending asylum seekers back to Ethiopia at this time is not just a policy decision; it is a life-or-death sentence.
​The Danger is Real: Returnees face a high risk of persecution, imprisonment, and violence due to their political opinions or ethnicity.
​Violation of International Law: Israel is a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, which forbids refoulement—the forcible return of refugees to a place where their lives or freedom would be threatened.
​A Moral Failure: Israel has long served as a haven for the persecuted. To forcefully expel a vulnerable community back into the hands of a regime actively violating human rights contradicts the core values of the State of Israel.