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African refugees in Tel Aviv (Alon Ron) Last update - 11:05 14/03/2008 Tel Aviv accuses state of breaking pledge to aid refugees By Yigal Hai, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Tel Aviv Municipality  The Tel Aviv municipality on Thursday accused the Prime Minister's Office of breaking its promise to transfer a state grant to finance apartments for African refugees in the city. The refugees are now housed in dire conditions in shelters in the south of the city. Advertisement Deputy Mayor Yael Dayan, who is in charge of the refugees, said the PMO had undertaken several weeks ago to transfer a NIS 2,000 "adjustment fee" to each of some 400 refugees. So far not a single refugee has received the grant. Dayan says the government also promised to provide work permits for the refugees but failed to do so. "We thought the agreements were binding but apparently we were wrong. The city was even willing to finance advances, assuming the government would pay it back, but the government did not. Nobody got a penny and the ministries are simply ignoring the situation," Dayan said. Dayan wrote to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert this week that the African refugees' situation in Tel Aviv had reached the proportions of "a humanitarian disaster. Hundreds of refugees who fled from Africa, men, women, sick, hungry, exhausted people have gathered here. The situation in the shelters is beyond despair. Without government help and responsibility we are unable to cope and the consequences will be disastrous." The PMO confirmed to Haaretz two weeks ago that it had agreed to transfer the grants. The Tel Aviv officials said the grants would enable a number of refugees to rent an apartment together for a few months, during which they would try to find work. Some 200 of the African refugees in the city have no housing or way to obtain food. The city is demanding immediate, albeit temporary, work permits from the government for refugees from Eritrea and southern Sudan some 700 people. "Once the permits are granted we can close down the shelters and the workers will be absorbed in the community, either in Tel Aviv or other places," Dayan wrote to Olmert. Some 60 refugees moved to Tel Aviv's Independence Park on Tuesday, where they are staying in deplorable conditions with no roof over their heads. Most of them had been staying in a building on Motzkin street in the city's Old North over the past three weeks until they were turned out on Monday. Related articles: Interior Min. mulls 'absorption grant' for T.A.'s African refugees African refugees flood UN office in Tel Aviv Immigration Police detains some 200 African refugees in Tel Aviv Bookmark to del.icio.us   Not even for Natalie A Haredi actor quits Natalie Portman's latest film due to rabbis' protests. Al-Jazeera boycott Al-Jazeera slams Israeli boycott as attack on free expression.   1.   Back to Egypt 10:45  |  Flora 14/03/08

Today Online IAF resumes Gaza strikes, kills 3 Islamic Jihad men Responses: 78 Gideon Levy: Barak trying his best to ruin peace process Responses: 16 Uzi Benziman: Hawkish Israeli public leaves no room for Meretz Responses: 9 Bush to push Israel, PA for progress before his May visit Responses: 21 Rosner's Domain If you marry them, you have a better chance of keeping them State Department: UN measures fuel anti-Semitism (WTR) Poll: Is the "road map" still relevant? Neocons and the cultural proclivity of Jews (WTR) General Fraser and the third whiner More Headlines 11:17 Netanyahu files NIS 2M libel suit over Ch. 10 spending expose 11:19 IAF strike kills three Islamic Jihad militants in northern Gaza 09:34 ANALYSIS: Say goodbye to quiet after Gaza militant deaths 07:11 Bush to push Israel, PA for progress before his May visit 08:18 Report: Syria wants 'public' peace talks with Israel 10:04 Treasury finally admits: Israel facing economic slowdown 10:55 Falashmura slam gov't treatment of immigration applications 11:20 Woman injured from gunfire in suspected 'honor killing' attempt 10:22 Tibetan exiles in Tel Aviv protest Chinese crackdown in Tibet 02:34 Merkel to arrive in Israel, will be first chancellor to address Knesset 04:18 U.S. gov't asks Congress to okay plan to boost funds for PA police 00:29 Firebombs hurled into home of Jewish Agency representative in U.S. Previous Editions Select Day 14 mar 13 mar 12 mar 11 mar 10 mar 09 mar 07 mar 06 mar 05 mar 04 mar 03 mar 02 mar

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