Jerusalem (CNN) -- Amene Tekele Haymanot thought he had made the right choice when five years ago he escaped war-torn Eritrea and opened a business in sunny Tel Aviv, Israel. But he and his countrymen couldn't escape conflict for long. Haymanot never expected himself - or his store -- to become targets of threats and violence in a metropolitan city known for its tolerance. But it was. His windows were smashed in and his business looted during an anti-immigration protest. "Now I am afraid here. I cannot live this way. I'm afraid for my life," Haymanot, who is an illegal immigrant awaiting refugee status, told CNN.
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Tension has flared in parts of Israel between some immigrants from Africa and residents of the neighborhood
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Residents says that the infrastructure and public services cannot cope with the new arrivals
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Many Israelis who sympathize with the African immigrants say they believe racism is a factor
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the immigration problem is being dealt with
He says the @placeholder population should be award asylum and given the necessary papers to work.