Minister eyes Sudanese ‘Exodus

Citing biblical morality, Israel’s justice minister called for the country to take in Sudanese refugees. Daniel Friedmann said Tuesday that Israel, which in recent months has seen an influx of refugees from the Darfur genocide who made it into the country via the Egyptian Sinai, should consider granting some permanent asylum. “This is a question currently faced by the State of Israel, and which is directly linked to what happened 3,000 years ago and more, at the time of the Exodus from Egypt,” Friedmann said in a speech to Israeli lawyers. “There are instructions in the Torah that teach about compassion, with aspects that we do not see in the laws of other peoples. The emphasis is on why there is a need for compassion.” Some Sudanese refugees in Israel have found temporary homes in kibbutzim, while others have been locked up as possible enemies of the state given the official state of war between Israel and Sudan.