Darfurian Refugees

Its odd seeing thin, black, subsaharan africans in Tel Aviv. They are simply out of place in a country dominated by european looking faces. Despite feeling a world a way, the civil war in Darfur has direct implications for this country. Darfurian refugees sneak into egypt and then find their way across the sinai to the negev dessert, where they attempt to enter israel. The egyptian border guards - under pressure to protect the border from militants smuggling bombs, weapons, etc - have already been accused of shooting and killing sudanese refugees trying to sneak into israel. Once in Israel, the refugees need to lay low for 24 hours. If apprehended within the first 24 hours, international law dictates that they can be sent back to their point of entry (ie egypt). IF they can avoid being apprehended for the first 24 hour period they will stay in israel. The "lucky" ones will be arrested and put in jail. And there they will languish ad infinitum. They cannot be repartriated or deported because they have no passports. They can not obtain new passports because Sudan doesn't recognize israel hence they have no consular protection. Their home country which sees them as triators seeking refuge in an enemy state, says "good ridence". Israel of course, plays this game as well: despite having committed no crime, and despite fleeing a genocide, and despite being no threat in any way to the country and despite simply needing basic humanitarian aid, israel locks them up. And those are the lucky ones. The unlucky darfurian refugees are coralled by the police and summarily dumped somewhere: like Be'ersheba, or some outskrits of jerusalem. They cannot eat, they cannot work, thay have inadequate shelter. Some grass roots organizations have sprouted up in a bid to house and employ the refugees in kibutzim, but its all too little.