In the last days of December 2012, the number of illegal immigrants entering Israel dropped to zero for the first time in more than half a decade

The new fence that Israel is constructing along its border with Egypt, coupled with enhanced border-security measures, seems to be working. Part of Israel's hostility towards illegal immigrants has to do with crime. For example, an Eritrean man recently raped an 83-year-old woman in southern Tel Aviv, reviving fear about the number of black Africans who come to Israel. Currently there are some 30,000 Eritrean refugees in Israel and some 15,000 from Sudan. According to the Israeli interior ministry, the refugees from the two East African countries make up more than 80% of the total refugees Israel hosts.