Operation Hope

Helping Sudanese refugees in Israel

 

The ICEJ has launched an emergency effort to assist Israel in caring for hundreds of Sudanese refugees who have fled into the country from Egypt.

Approximately 2,300 Sudanese refugees have crossed into Israel from Egypt so far, fleeing the Khartoum regime's genocide and ethnic cleansing campaign in the South and the western Darfur region.

Israelis are divided over how to handle this sudden refugee crisis. Some believe Israel has a unique moral duty to care for victims of genocide due to Israel's own history as a nation reborn out of the ashes of the Holocaust. Others are concerned this influx of Sudanese Muslims and Christians will pose a further risk to Israel's security or its delicate demographic balance.

Israel has decided to keep a quota of 500+ Darfur refugees already in the country, while the remainder, mainly south Sudanese Christians, may face deportation.

The ICEJ has assisted destitute Sudanese refugees with housing, finding jobs, and caring for their families' needs, until their status and ultimate fate can be determined.

So far, the Christian Embassy has worked with various Israeli relief organizations to place Sudanese asylum seekers with community farms, kibbutzim and apartments all across the country. We have also found work and housing for refugee families in local hotels and construction sites.

The stories of the atrocities experienced by these Sudanese refugees are horrific. Many have witnessed family members raped and murdered, and their villages burned. They are also fearful of being sent back to Egypt, where they were often jailed and even beaten in the streets.

Aida, 28, recently told The Jerusalem Post, “It is not like they will put me in jail if I go back to Egypt or Sudan, they will kill me.” She added, “It is strange that the government will send away people who love Israel.”

“When you sit in a Western country, where there is freedom of religion, it is hard to understand what it means to be afraid of being killed because of your faith," says Charmaine Hedding, who is coordinating the ICEJ's emergency efforts for the Sudanese refugees.

We are appealing to Christians worldwide to help fund our efforts as we assist Israel in dealing with this unexpected Sudanese refugee crisis.