Israel Reportedly Prepared to Take in 100 Orphaned Syrian Refugees

Israel is reportedly willing to accept 100 Syrian refugee orphans, Channel 10 reported on Wednesday evening, citing a decision by Israel's Interior Minister Arye Dery.

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According to the report, Dery authorized the program, but it has yet to take place. According to Channel 10, the Syrian children will be given temporary residency status and will have full rights, though they would not receive an Israeli passport.

The report said Israel was even willing to promise the UN that after four years, they will receive permeant residency allowing them to say in Israel for the rest of their lives.

The report said that at the first stage the children will be housed in a boarding-school-like setting and then integrated into the education system and some might even be given Israeli Arab foster families.

The report also said that if the program proves successful, Israel might allow their immediate family like parents or siblings to join them.

Israel has maintained a policy of neutrality regarding the conflict with Syria – a country with which it has no diplomatic ties and is officially in a state of war with over Israel's presence on the Golan Heights, which straddles the border with Syria.

Israel has given medical care to over 2,600 Syrians, some in special field hospitals set up along the border, but also in Israeli medical centers. A special directorate that offers humanitarian aid to Syrians has also been established recently.