"אני חוזר כי מדינת ישראל לא רוצה אותי": מבקשי מקלט מדרום סודאן שבים הביתה

This article focuses on the repatriation of South Sudanese asylum seekers who resided in Israel.Due to the horrors of the civil war and the genocide in Darfur, Sudanese from the west and south began arriving in Israel in late 2005 in search of asylum. Approximately 16,000 Sudanese entered Israel over the years. Upon arrival they were granted limited rights, namely, immunity from deportation. A few settled in the Tel Aviv region, while the majority worked in 3 D jobs[Editor’s note: What does 3D mean?] and lived in Arad and Eilat. Despite the hardships of their journey, the death of family members, and an unfair government policy, they managed to work,establish families, and create lively communities while living in Israel.Diplomatic ties between Israel and South Sudan were established in 2011 following the formal end of the civil war between Northern Sudan (Khartoum) and South Sudan and the creation of the sovereign state of South Sudan. After that, Israel rescinded the immunity from deportation,and hundreds of South Sudanese asylum seekers were forced to return to their home country.Against the backdrop of the previous repatriation of African migrants living in Israel, this article focuses on the return to their homeland of South Sudan just before the implementation of the deportation. Based on qualitative research done in South Sudan, the article focuses on the cultural capital they brought back with them. It investigates how were they received and whether they found a home - in the full sense of the term - upon their return. It pays special attention to changes in their personal and political worldview, and their insights on the State of Israel and on Israeli society following their experience as temporary, foreign, black asylumseekers in Israel. The insights presented here are part of the initial stages of the research rather than its final conclusions.