Ethiopian refugees' hunger strike enters its seventh day by Anat Rosilio 11:07pm Mon Aug 19 '02 [email protected] About 20 refugees from Ethiopia and Eritrea have now been on hunger strike for a week in front of the Joint Building in Jerusalem, where UN offices are located. print article So far, the hunger strike has received very little attention from the Israeli media and government. Most visitors are members of Physicians for Human Rights - Israel, Amnesty International, and Indymedia israel members. Today an Ha' aretz reporter arrived as well. As for now the situation seems to have reached a dead end. Accordng to a government statement, there will be no progress on the issue until September 3, when a committee will convene to discuss the refugees' status (this is despite the fact that they have already been recognized as refugees by the UN Commission on Refugees). The decision to establish a governmental committee, to re-examine the refugees' already-determined status and to further delay their rightful access to social benefits, is appalling. Among the strikers is 32-year-old Ballay, the father of a 2-month old baby, who has awaited a UN decision to recognize him as a refugee for four years. In addition, Ballay has been waiting for over two years - including endless appeals - for the Israeli ministry of the interior to respond to his application. Overall, Ballay has already lived in Israel for seven years without any rights! It should be noted that the refugees cannot move on to nother country,since according to the Fourth Geneva Convention a refugee will only enjoy refugee status and the ensuing rights in the first country to which he or she arrive (a policy intended to make it harder for refugees to reach more "western" countries). The bureaucratic red tape is coupled with appalling racist comments, especially on the part of civil servants at the ministry of the interior. Ballay mentions one clerk in particular who makes the point of treating him with contempt whenever he sets foot in her office: "In the end we will have a country of Blacks only," is only one among her many appalling comments. "Sometimes I think there are two states in Israel, the State of Israel and the State of the Ministry of the Interior, which acts independently". There is no coordination between the ministry of the interior, the State of Israel, and the UN. Why are all these governmental committees discussing out case necessary, when we have already been recognized as refugees since 2001?" Ballay wonders. Ballay came to Israel seven years ago from Ethiopia, where he used to work as a high executive in a government bureau, but began to be persecuted due to his belonging to an ethnic minority group. "Some of my friends were sent to jail, some were killed, and I ran away from Ethiopia," he relates. He reached Israel alone, after having had the choice between Israel and Sweden. He chose Israel, he says, due to his belief that Ethiopia and Israel have shared a common history since the days of King Solomon. Upon arriving in Israel Ballay got married, and two months ago his first son was born. The three of them live in Israel without any rights. First published: Sunday, August 18, 2002 Translated by Natalie Rothman URL: http://indymedia.org.il/imc/israel/webcast/35475.html add your comments