Living in Liminality: An Analysis of the Role of NGOs Aiding Eritrean Asylum-Seekers in Israel from 2007 - 2018

Abstract

State repression in Eritrea has caused many people to flee, and many Eritrean asylum-seekers have landed in Israel because it is geographically accessible by foot. Eritrean asylum-seekers who arrive in Israel experience a policy of non-deportation; the state of Israel allows asylum-seekers to stay in the country under visas that must be renewed every few months. These visas limit the lives that Eritrean asylum-seekers lead in Israel, denying them refugee status and rights. The lack of government intervention has led to an increase in the number of NGOs working with Eritrean asylum-seekers. This paper uses interviews with past and present NGO employees and volunteers as case studies to argue that NGOs work to build Eritrean asylum-seekers’ sense of agency, while NGOs themselves have limited agency because they cannot change the policies that limit the lives of Eritrean asylum-seekers. If NGOs themselves do not have agency in Israel, it is difficult for NGOs to build the agency of Eritrean asylum-seekers. NGOs see themselves as helping Eritrean asylum-seekers gain equal footing in Israeli society; however, Eritrean asylum-seekers often do not understand that the powers of NGOs are limited and have different expectations for how NGOs should support them. This misalignment of expectations creates a barrier for NGOs in building relationships with their clients. This paper finds that both NGOs and Eritrean asylum-seekers live in a constant state of liminality in Israel; both parties are stuck in an eternal period of waiting until the state of Israel changes its domestic policies.