S. Tel Aviv residents protest (file)
S. Tel Aviv residents protest (file)Flash 90

The state attorney sent its response to the Supreme Court on Tuesday over a petition opposing the impending release of illegal immigrants. The response stated that infiltrators are not to live or work in Tel Aviv or Eilat, but acknowledged that the government lacks the resources or capability to enforce the conditions.

Yonatan Yaakobovitz, head of the publicity department at the Israeli Immigrant Policy Institution that filed the petition, called the response a "mockery" that shows the government's contempt for residents of South Tel Aviv.

"The government is releasing infiltrators to the streets on amorphous conditions that no one intends to enforce, and the residents of south Tel Aviv will be the first to suffer," Yaakobovitz added.

In September the Supreme Court decided to overturn a 2012 law allowing illegal immigrants to be jailed for up to 3 years, and ordered the government to release jailed infiltrators.

The Israeli Immigrant Policy Institution and residents of south Tel Aviv filed their petition in response, asking for an interim order to prevent infiltrators from being released back to the streets of south Tel Aviv.

The petition cited fears for the security and rights of residents. There has been rampant crime and lawlessness reported in the area since infiltrators began massing there.

Meanwhile on Sunday a new law was passed which would allow the government to jail infiltrators at detention facilities for a year as opposed to the recently overturned 3 years.

Illegal entry to Israel has been cut by 99% following construction of a security fence on the Sinai border, but an estimated 55,000 infiltrators already are living in Israel.

Israel is not the only country dealing with the problem of illegal immigrants from Africa. In Saudi Arabia a government crackdown recently led to 23,000 Ethiopians turning themselves in voluntarily.