Sudanese family in limbo in Israel
March 18, 2007 (BEER SHEVA, Israel) — A Sudanese family that fled Darfur into Egypt found itself in limbo in Israel Sunday as it seeks asylum from its violence-ravaged homeland.
The two parents and five children, ages 2 to 9, were intercepted by Israeli soldiers during the weekend as they crossed into Israel and were given temporary shelter at a military base near Beer Sheva in the Negev, YNet News said Sunday.
Army officials were trying to transfer responsibility to civilian authorities when the youngest child fell ill. A military ambulance took him and the rest his family to a hospital. The child was treated and released, but the family then found itself alone, the news agency said.
Hospital officials tried to get the Army or police to assume responsibility for them without success. The state seems to have gone off the rails, said Dr. Eitan Chai-Am, the hospital ‘ s director. I spoke with a senior personality in the Army, who told me that the Army deals with terrorists, the police with criminals and the hospital with sick people.
The Sudanese do not fall into any one of these categories, and as a result they fall between the cracks.Ynet said it had contacted the Immigration Administration but had yet to receive a response.
(UPI)