IOF recruiting African refugees for Gaza war in exchange for residency
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A report by Haaretz reveals that African asylum seekers' aspirations for permanent residency in "Israel" are being used as an incentive to secure their participation in the war on Gaza.
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Eritrean protesters clash with Israeli riot police in Tel Aviv, on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023. (AP)
The Israeli security establishment is offering African asylum seekers, who are willing to take part in the war on Gaza, assistance in obtaining permanent residency in "Israel", Haaretz reported on Sunday, citing personal testimonies.
Israeli security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity with the news outlet, revealed that this process is being carried out in a systematic manner with the involvement of legal advisors.
So far, none of the asylum seekers who participated in the war on Gaza have been granted permanent status in "Israel", Haaretz pointed out.
The news website noted that approximately 30,000 African asylum seekers reside in the Israeli occupation entity, the majority of whom are young men. Among them, around 3,500 Sudanese nationals have been granted temporary status by court order due to the Israeli authorities' failure to process their applications.
It became apparent to security officials that the asylum seekers' aspirations for permanent residency could be leveraged as an incentive to secure their participation in military operations in Gaza, the report mentioned.
One asylum seeker, identified only by the initial "A.", recounted his experience to Haaretz. Having arrived in the Israeli occupation entity at 16, he holds temporary status. Like many other asylum seekers, A. had expressed a desire to join the Israeli occupation military, seeing it as a potential path to integration into Israeli society.
In the early stages of the war, A. received a call from someone claiming to be a police officer, summoning him to a security facility without providing further details. Upon arrival, he was met by security personnel who, over a series of meetings, attempted to recruit him to the Israeli military.
A. was also told that upon enlisting, he would receive a salary comparable to his current job, along with the possibility of receiving official documents from the Israeli government.
"The guy told me they were looking for special people. I asked him what made me special, he didn't know me at all," he said.
Although A. initially considered joining, he ultimately decided against it, expressing doubts about his lack of military experience and the brevity of the two-week training period. When he informed the recruiter of his decision, the response was one of anger but left the door open for future enlistment.
Haaretz cited military sources as saying that the Israeli security establishment has utilized asylum seekers in various operations, some of which have been covered by the media.
The news website reported that while concerns have been raised about the ethical implications of this practice—specifically the exploitation of individuals who fled conflict in their home countries—these objections have largely been suppressed.
"This is a very problematic matter," one source told Haaretz.
Despite discussions about granting residency status to asylum seekers who participated in military operations, sources revealed that none have actually received such status, according to the news website. Simultaneously, efforts have been made by the Israeli security establishment to offer residency to non-asylum seekers who have contributed to the war.
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