Israel Supreme Court: Holot illegal, Africans jailed in desert must be freed within 90 days

The Supreme Court of Israel ruled this evening to close a desert prison called Holot, a facility that Israeli lawmakers created last December to indefinitely hold African asylum seekers who had “infiltrated” the border.

According to the whopping 216-page decision on the “Anti-Infiltration Law” that allows for their detention, the state must release all prisoners within 90 days.

“Everybody is so happy here,” said Darfuri refugee Jamal Yacob over the phone from Holot. “People are dancing, people are giving speeches — wow, we are so happy here in Holot.”

Read more on Simone Wilson's “Hella Tel Aviv”