Religious Zionist Party MK Simcha Rothman will advance a new bill for a basic law that seeks to greatly limit immigration into Israel, he announced on Sunday after a riot by Eritrean asylum seekers ended with at least 160 injuries the previous day.
The bill, dubbed Basic Law: Entry, immigration, and status in Israel, proposes to put in place a set of guidelines for foreigners being granted entry or gaining status in Israel when they are not eligible for aliyah according to the Law of Return.
In the case of contradiction between the bill’s rules and other laws or basic laws, the bill seeks to make this one overpower all other laws save basic laws that are specifically legislated to overpower it.
If the bill is to pass, Israel would have a set annual quota for people gaining refugee status in the country, and anyone who enters the country or stays in it illegally will be automatically blocked from gaining such a status.
This would also give the country the right to deport those who enter or stay in the country illegally. Those who cannot be deported could be subjected to a variety of heavy restrictions until they leave willingly. This includes limiting their movement and confiscating any funds they receive.
MK Simcha Rothman, head of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee leads a Committee meeting on the planned judicial reform, at the Knesset in Jerusalem on July 12, 2023. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)Furthermore, no person who isn’t a citizen or resident of Israel would be able to petition an Israeli court to rule on their status unless a citizen or resident petitioned the court on their behalf. This wouldn’t apply to people eligible for aliyah.
The bill was submitted for the first time in 2021 during the Naftali Bennett-Yair Lapid government. It was advanced then by Rothman, Bezalel Smotrich (also RZP), Amir Ohana (Likud), Yinon Azoulay (Shas), Yitzhak Pindrus (United Torah Judaism), and Amihai Chikli (then-Yamina). The bill was endorsed by then-opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu but was ultimately removed from the agenda, meaning it had to wait six months or be adjusted before being proposed again.
Over 160 injured in Eritrean riots in Tel Aviv
Rothman’s renewed attempt to have the bill passed comes after a group of Eritrean asylum seekers rioted through the streets of Tel Aviv in protest against an event being held at the Eritrean Embassy on Saturday.
In the ensuing violence, a total of at least 160 people were injured including at least 50 Israel Police officers.
The incident on Saturday “only strengthened the need to swiftly advance solutions to keep illegal residents away from Israel,” said Rothman. “Unfortunately, all the steps taken by Israeli governments through the ages and the laws that have been advanced by the Knesset were struck down by the High Court of Justice, and that’s why we need a basic law.”
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