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Foreign Minister Gideon Saar spoke with Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martinez regarding the women and children rescued from the extremist Haredi cult "Lev Tahor," according to discussions in the Knesset's Immigration and Absorption Committee on Wednesday.
The committee, chaired by Knesset lawmaker Gilad Kariv, was informed that crucial court hearings in Guatemala in the coming days will determine the possibility of repatriating the rescued Israelis.
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Guatemalan police forces rescuing children from 'Lev Tahor' premises
(Photo: Guatemalan Attorney General of the Nation's Office \ AFP)
"Last night, Israel's foreign minister spoke with his Guatemalan counterpart. The Foreign Ministry has taken a central role in the case of the rescued children. Many parties are involved and we are cooperating with all of them,” Attorney Meirav Marx from the Foreign Ministry said.
“We are awaiting approval for aid packages for the families. We are in an advanced stage of securing legal representation for the families. Israel is doing everything within its capacity to assist its nationals abroad. This is not a case of abandonment or misunderstanding of the situation," according to Marx.
Orit Cohen Amir, representing the families, described efforts to bring the rescued individuals back to Israel. "I have to appear in court in Guatemala as an Israeli citizen. We are willing to spend large sums to navigate the bureaucratic process for our relatives’ release but I ask the State of Israel to stand by us in the legal proceedings in Guatemala. The government has not made a clear decision to bring the children back home.
“It has not even officially requested their return. My brother managed to smuggle children out of the cult using forged passports but Israel refused to bring them home. So far, together with other families, we have spent hundreds of thousands of shekels. The immediate help we need from the state is legal assistance."
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Rachel Lichtenstein, CEO of the Israeli Center for Victims of Cults, criticized the delays. "Right now, we are behind in the legal process. Government ministries have recently been more responsive, which is welcome, but in my view, Israel must use its full diplomatic weight to bypass the courts and secure the children's return."
"I hope that by the next follow-up discussion, we will have good news regarding the return of the cult survivors,” Kariv said. “The prime minister has reached out to Guatemala’s president, and we welcome this. We expect Israeli authorities to formally request the return of the Israeli children or those eligible for Israeli citizenship. I want a response by tomorrow on whether Israel intends to participate in the legal proceedings in Guatemala."
Kariv also expressed concern over the policies of the Interior Ministry and the Population and Immigration Authority, which require the rescued children to present documents they cannot obtain.
"The bureaucracy surrounding the rescue of minors from Guatemala is unacceptable. Some of these children have guardianship orders, yet the Interior Ministry is denying them Israeli citizenship because they lack certain Guatemalan documents that are impossible to obtain.”
“Now is the time for broad discretion to ensure these children are brought to Israel. I call on government ministries — grant the rescued children Israeli citizenship. I also urge the Jewish Agency and the Joint Distribution Committee to step in and assist in saving these lives,” he added.