Hundreds of Eritrean infiltrators rioted on Saturday against a festival that had been organized in south Tel Aviv by the Eritrean embassy (Dozens of Cops Injured in Eritrean Riots in Tel Aviv). After many hours, the police gained control over the demonstrations, with 39 rioters arrested and at least 49 police officers injured, 12 with serious head injuries.
On Sunday, Knesset Constitution, Law, and Judgement Committee Chairman MK Simcha Rothman announced his plan to reintroduce a Basic Law: Immigration legislation as soon as the Knesset winter session begins.
Rothman suggested that “the events of last Shabbat only enhanced the need for the rapid advancement of solutions to remove the infiltrators from Israel. Unfortunately, all the steps of Israeli governments for generations and the laws that have been promoted by the Knesset were rejected by the Supreme Court, hence the need for a Basic Law: Immigration.”
Rothman’s law’s intent is “to establish provisions regarding entry into Israel, immigration, obtaining a status in Israel, as well as citizenship, and to ensure an immigration policy that will protect the unique right to self-determination of the Jewish people in the State of Israel and preserve the sovereignty and security of the State of Israel.”
Here are a few points in Rothman’s proposed law:
The government will determine, with the approval of the Knesset, a maximum annual quota of people receiving status in Israel; the details will be determined by law; For this Basic Law, “status” means citizenship, visa, or permit by which a person who is not an Israeli citizen or a resident of Israel may stay in Israel for a period exceeding one year.
A person who entered Israel or stayed in it for a period exceeding three months in violation of the law, will not be granted status in Israel.
A person who is not an Israeli citizen or a resident of Israel may not apply to the courts for relief regarding entry into Israel, and the court will not grant relief in his case unless it has determined that he is entitled to status in Israel according to law.
A person who enters the country in violation of the law or who stays in Israel in violation of the law (an illegal resident) will be removed from the State of Israel.
The state will encourage the departure of illegal residents whom the state of Israel cannot remove.
Instructions regarding this section shall be determined by law; Such a law may determine, among other things:
(1) Provisions according to which an illegal resident will be held in custody for the entire period of his stay in Israel;
(2) Provisions according to which the movement of an illegal resident will be limited to certain geographical areas or for certain times;
(3) Provisions that prohibit or limit the ability of an illegal resident to work within the boundaries of the State of Israel in certain geographic areas or occupations and under unique conditions;
(4) Provisions stipulating that funds, from any source, that accrue to an illegal resident during his stay in Israel, will be held, in whole or in part, in trust by the State of Israel and will be returned to the illegal resident only after he leaves the State of Israel;
(5) Provisions according to which an illegal resident will not be entitled to the same services, or to the use of the same services to which holders of status in Israel are entitled.
