Israel suffers from being the only first-world country with a well-to-do economy and decent social services having a land border with Africa

Recent figures from the Interior Ministry are that there were 55,000 African illegal immigrants as of January 2012 in Israel. That number is double what was recorded 18 months earlier in July 2010. More recently, officials said that there are now 60,000 illegal African immigrants in the country. Among Israel's problems in dealing with the immigrants are the unsettled nature of the countries which supply the bulk of the immigrants (Eritrea, South Sudan, and Sudan), which hinder efforts to repatriate them, the lack of diplomatic relations with Sudan, and the unwillingness of African countries to accept individuals who arrive in Israel with no documents showing nationality.