Thousands of African asylum seekers on Wednesday protested outside the Rwandan Embassy in Israel, calling on the African country not to cooperate with an Israeli plan to deport them.

Israel has given thousands of migrants in the country until April 1 to accept an offer to leave for an unnamed African destination - widely known to be Rwanda, based on testimonies of people who have already left - in exchange for 3,500 US dollars and a plane ticket. Those who don't leave face indefinite incarceration.

The protesters said the plan would put them in danger and said the deportations were racist. They urged Rwanda and its president, Paul Kagame, not to cooperate. Rwanda is one of Israel's closest African allies.

"Deported to death because I'm black," said one banner. "Black or white I'm human," said another, held by protesters with faces painted white.

Israel has 40,000 migrants, mostly from Eritrea and Sudan, who say they fled from danger at home. Both countries have poor human rights records.

Israel claims that most of the migrants are job seekers and cites complaints that they have transformed working class neighbourhoods of south Tel Aviv into unrecognizable slums.

But the migrants and their supporters say those who have left have run into danger in Rwanda and Uganda, another destination country. They claim they have no rights in those countries, and quickly are forced to flee through war-torn countries like Sudan and Libya in hopes of making their way to Europe.

In a 2015 incident, a migrant who had left Israel was captured by Islamic State militants in Libya and decapitated.

The migrants say they do not want to settle in Israel, but want to remain as refugees until it is safe for them to return to their homelands.

"Saving a refugee is a moral obligation," the crowd chanted.

Thousands of migrants entered Israel from neighboring Egypt until Israel completed a massive border fence to stop the flow. Since then, Israel has struggled to find a solution for those who entered the country.

The deportation plan has sparked outrage in Israel, where critics have called it unethical and a stain on Israel's image as a refuge for Jewish migrants.

The government says it has no obligation to take in migrants, and that it has taken steps to make sure they are not harmed. Women, children and families, for example, are exempt from the deportation order.

Herzliya, central Israel - 7 February 2018

1. African asylum seekers raising hands in handcuff gesture, faces painted white, holding signs reading (English, from left to right) "Deported to death because I'm black," "Black or white I'm human"

2. Close up of handcuff gesture

3. African asylum seekers raising hands in handcuff gesture, faces painted white

4. Protester speaking on megaphone

5. Close up of woman protester

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Halofom Sultan, asylum seeker from Eritrea:

"I'm glad to see all the people, all the African asylum seekers as well as Israelis and other people here, and I can say why the people are here, because they are very worried about their future."

7. Wide of protest

8. Banner showing Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reading (English) "Stop racism"

9. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Tasfou Takle, asylum seeker from Eritrea:

"I was told 'go to your country,' I am asking for asylum, and I am not leaving (Israel) if I am to be sold, so here, I am standing here, I will stand here, I don't want to be deported from Israel, I'm a refugee also now."

10. Sign reading (English) "Black or white I'm a human"

11. Close up of baby in stroller

12. Crowd chanting (Hebrew) "Saving a refugee is a moral obligation"

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Sigal Rozen, Head of Public Department at the Hotline for Refugees and Migrants in Israel:

"It looks as if we managed to recruit such a large Israeli public, because suddenly the Israeli public realizes that Israel is about to actually deport genuine refugees, but our demands remain the same for the last 12 years, we keep on asking the Israeli government to grant refugee status to the people who deserve this status and to stop abusing them and trying to force them to leave."

14. Protesters chanting (Hebrew) "We will not fall into despair, we will stop the deportation"

Rwanda's President Paul Kagame arrived in Jerusalem on Monday for a two-day visit to Israel.

Kagame was welcomed by a ceremonial guard of honour and Israel's President Reuven Rivlin, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu said the two countries shared a unique bond from their experience of violent historical events - the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide.

The Israel Prime Minsiter also lashed out at UNESCO, attacking the United Nations cultural agency's recent decision to list Hebron on the World Heritage List, which was described in the submission as a Palestinian site, drawing vehement protests from Israel.

Netanyahu is pursuing closer security and business ties with African countries.

Kagame welcomed cooperation, saying it had "blossomed" between the two countries in areas such as technology, agriculture and energy.

Jerusalem - 10 July 2017

1. Ceremonial band playing

2. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu

3. Rivlin, Kagame, Netanyahu walking, bowing to flags

4. Kagame and Rivlin seated, Netanyahu talking

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel:

"We have pledged, I think, both our peoples one simple pledge: never again. Never again. We who witnessed the greatest Holocaust in history. You, who witnessed perhaps, one of the most recent ones. Never again. That's another great bond between us."

6. Kagame and Rivlin sitting

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel:

"Bilateral relations should be reflected in multilateral forums. There's a dissonance obviously between us and quite a few nations still. We saw that in the absurd vote in UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) that said that King David there, depicted there with a harp, King David was not in Jerusalem, he was in Tibet. His son Solomon didn't build the Temple here, he built it in South America, I don't know. I mean, it's absurd, the whole denial of history, the denial of the Bible. These absurdities still take place in international forums, and they do damage to those forums they cannot change the truth."

8. Netanyahu shaking hands with Kagame

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda:

"Cooperation between our countries has blossomed in many areas among them technology and agriculture and energy as well as security. We appreciate what Israel has to offer in these and other fields, and we are very happy to be working with you."

10. Kagame speaking, Netanyahu and Rivlin listening

11. Officials leaving

12. Exterior of building with Israeli flag in front