On a typical Friday morning, most college students would sleep in if they had the opportunity. Not in the nation's capital, where some students don blazers and pantsuits to lobby on Capitol Hill.

For many years, students from American University, George Washington University, Georgetown University and the University of Maryland have set out in person for lawmakers' offices to lobby on behalf of Israel. All four schools coordinated to send a total of more than 60 students to 31 senators' offices on a lobbying day last month.

Israel is largely a nation of immigrants. However, as many African refugees discover, some foreigners are less welcome than others.

First-time visitors to Tel Aviv are often greeted by an unexpected sight. In Levinsky Park, immediately outside the city's Central Bus Station, dozens of young African men hang around at almost all hours. They are not simply loitering; most are refugees from war-torn North African nations with nowhere else to go. They endured terrible hardship before arriving in Israel, but found little sympathy or support when they arrived here.

Their problems are also far from over.