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For the past two years, the Israeli government has been trying to reduce the number of foreign workers in the country. In many cases, this means canceling people's work permits. But for three Chinese workers living in Israel, being sent back to China could mean being tortured in a labor camp because of their beliefs. Now, their status in is limbo.

The Israeli government may be deporting three Chinese Falun Gong practitioners who have been living in Israel, despite the fact that they've applied for asylum there.

[Smadar Ben Natan, Lawyer]:
"The reason why Falun Gong practitioners seek asylum in Israel is because they are persecuted by the Chinese government and the Communist Party in China and they face real risk if they will return to China."

In China, people who practice Falun Gong, a traditional spiritual practice, face imprisonment without trial, brainwashing and torture. There have been more than 3300 documented deaths of practitioners due to the Communist Party's persecution.

These three Chinese Falun Gong practitioners have been living in Israel for up to nine years. In 2009, the Israeli government decided to cancel their work permits, as a part of general policy to reduce the number of foreign workers in the country. Since then authorities had still been renewing their visas every three months.

Then on November 14, the Population and Immigration Authority of the Israeli Ministry of the Interior decided to deport the three Falun Gong practitioners back to China within seven days.

After the three appealed the decision, an Israeli court decided on November 20 to put the three deportation cases on hold for further discussion until December.

The practitioners did not want to reveal their identities when we interviewed them, because they did not want to put their families in China in any danger.