The UN Is Not Happy About An Israeli Detention Facility In The Middle Of The Desert

HOLOT, Israel (Reuters) - A compound of one-storey buildings deep in the southern Israeli desert is now home to some 400 African migrants who face the prospect of being held in custody indefinitely
Israel opened the Holot complex in December after its Supreme Court stopped the practice of jailing illegal migrants for up to three years in regular prisons

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"I went to renew my visa, and suddenly I wound up here. This is terrible," said Eritrean Hagos Fdwi, 30, who worked in a restaurant in Tel Aviv.
Many say they seek asylum from war-torn homelands, but Israel dismisses most as illegal job seekers although some have been granted limited visas.

Authorities complain of heightened social tensions in more impoverished parts of Tel Aviv where Africans settle. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the influx threatens Israel's Jewish character and wants the majority of migrants removed.

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Holot has a capacity to hold more than 3,000 inmates and human rights groups say at least 2,000 more migrants have received summonses to report there by next month.
The rights groups argue that many of the migrants are worthy of political asylum, citing unrest and oppression in their homelands, and have petitioned the Supreme Court against the law



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