The violent riots by Eritreans in Tel Aviv on Saturday dumbfounded the nation. How did we get to this point that foreign gangs are wreaking havoc in our country, no longer content with such "small" crimes as bicycle theft, engaging instead in bloody fights with each other and the police?
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Only those who choose to be blind will deny the role of the Supreme Court and its crackdown on the fights against infiltration that has plunged southern Tel Aviv into lawlessness.
As tempting as it is to dwell on the past, we must focus on the future to make sure we do not repeat the same mistakes.
The government must immediately implement a determined, aggressive, and comprehensive policy to quickly remove the infiltrators within our borders, and at the same time place insurmountable obstacles in front of illegal immigrants who are planning to arrive in the coming years.
Although a Jewish state, Israel cannot allow to let in anyone who takes advantage of it, otherwise in a short time, Jews will be the minority here.
International law places no restrictions on the removal or return of most of the illegal infiltrators and immigrants currently residing in Israel. All the more so when it comes to countries such as Eritrea that have diplomatic ties with Israel.
The vast majority of the infiltrators are not actually refugees, because they were never persecuted at home due to backgrounds, beliefs, or opinions. And most of them did not flee due to the war either. In fact, they are undermining the chances of actual refugees being saved.
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As such, the infiltrators must be presented with an immediate choice: leave voluntarily or be removed after staying at a detention center, such as the Holot detention center that was closed in 2018 due to insistence by the Supreme Court.
Israel should also restart negotiations with other countries to find those willing to take in the infiltrators, even if such an initiative was blocked in the past by left-wing elements.
Equally important is for the authorities to make it clear to the infiltrators that there will be no arrangement whatsoever that will allow them to stay here forever.
Unless we act, Saturday's riots will only be a precursor to what's coming.
