African refugees refused lodging in Ktsiot prison

Despite Internal Security Ministry decision to allow dozens of African refugees to lodge in southern prison, 70 Africans were refused entrance due to lack of room; sent to Beit Hachayal in Beersheba

Anat Bereshovsky
Published: 08.11.07, 09:11 / Israel News

Seventy African refugees who crossed into Israel from Egypt will be taken to Beit Hachayal hostel in Beersheba after being refused entrance to Kstiot prison despite being promised lodging there according to a Internal Security Ministry decision.

The Israel Prison Service argued that there was no more room to hold the refugees in Ktsiot.

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The Internal Security Ministry recently decided to set up a camping site for the refugees after weeks of transferring them from place to place, without the state consolidating an official plan on how to deal with the problem.

As the refugees continued to pour into Israel, Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter, along with the Shin Bet, decided to give them room in the Ktsiot prison in a speical ward set up especially for them and completely separated from other wards.

According to the ministry's decision, the refugees would be allowed freedom of movement within the compound, and rules applying to prisoners would not affect them.

Over the past two days some 100 refugees crossed over to Israel and were arrested by the Israel Defense Forces and the Border Guard police.

The IDF contacted Ktsiot prison as it has been doing over the past few weeks, in order to coordinate the transfer of the refugees. The prison announced that it was out of room and refused to take in the refugees.

The 70 Africans were then taken the Beit Hachayal in Beersheba, after being fed by military donations, and are under tight Border Guard supervision.

Thirty additional refugees who arrived in Israel over the past 24 hours will be spending Saturday night at one of the IDF's bases.

The refugees will be forced to leave their temporary residences in a day or two, and the authorities will once again be faced with the problem of finding them a place to stay.

The Internal Security Ministry refused to comment on the matter, and pointed the finger at the Israel Prison Service.

In response, the Prison Service told Ynet, "Ktsiot prison has 240 cells for adults and over 100 places for women and children. We were unable to take in more people since the place was full."

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