Israel’s Fear Losing Jewish Character With Influx of African Migrants
Eritrean migrants in Israel (Photo: Matthew Bell)
Israel is a nation of immigrants. The Israeli melting pot includes people from all over the Middle East and North Africa, from Europe, North and South America, from the former Soviet Union, Australia and even South Asia. But for the most part, these people share a Jewish background. In its 64-year history, the state of Israel never planned on receiving large numbers of uninvited, non-Jewish immigrants. But they are coming. Tens of thousands of Africans have crossed into the Jewish state in recent years. As The World's Matthew Bell reports, it's an uneasy coexistence.
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