The city of Be’er Sheva has decided to temporarily house 24 Sudanese refugees. The refugees were brought to the city by IDF officials, who said that local police had agreed to handle the issue. The police denied involvement, saying that all refugee issues were matters for the IDF and the Interior Ministry to handle. The city has stepped in to help the refugees until a long-term solution can be found.

The Speaker of the Committee for Darfur Refugees, Eitan Shwartz, expressed anger at the government, accusing officials of “throwing [the refugees] into the street.” Shwartz called on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to help the refugees. Olmert’s parents were given refuge in China, Shwartz pointed out, allowing them to escape European anti-Semitism. Olmert, he said, should help the refugees just as the Chinese helped his own parents.