Last update - 00:00 08/07/2007
Be'er Sheva buses refugees to Knesset to protest gov't inaction
By Mijal Grinberg, Haaretz Correspondent
Be'er Sheva municipality on Sunday bussed Sudanese refugees that had been deposited within its city limits to the Knesset to protest lack of government funding for the welfare of African asylum seekers.
Some 20 refugees in the Negev city boarded the bus that later picked up 25 more staying in the nearby Bedouin town of Rahat en route for the Wohl Rose Garden, just outside Israel's parliamentary building in Jerusalem.
The IDF have deposited growing numbers of mostly Sudanese and Eritrean refugees it caught illegally infiltrating Israel's border from Egypt in various southern towns without assuming responsibility for their welfare.
On Friday, the army left 44 refugees by the entrance to Be'er Sheva's city hall, despite the municipality's announcement it would not absorb any additional illegal immigrants until the government pledges funds for their care.
Be'er Sheva had begun assuming responsibilty for the refugees' welfare from volunteer groups but ceased its activities due to the shortage of money to pay for its involvement.
Meanwhile, youth group members have launched a program aiding some 400 refugees housed in Eilat and who are working in the local tourist industry. Counselors are teaching adult refugees Hebrew, and their children are being entertained in social activities.