Israeli court delays ruling on Sudanese asylum seekers

A South Sudanese refugee holds up his national flag as he is held alongside other refugees at a detention centre in Holon, south of Tel Aviv, on 11 June 2012. [OREN ZIV/AFP/GettyImages]

Israel’s High Court of Justice has postponed its ruling on the status of Sudanese asylum seekers, largely from Darfur, after hearing about the possible normalisation of ties with Sudan, Haaretz revealed on Sunday.

The developments in relations between Israel and Sudan could, according to the newspaper, have an impact on the results of the petition filed on behalf of the individuals in question.

After viewing classified material, Court President Esther Hayut, Justice Yael Vilner and Justice George Kara apparently decided that they would ask the Public Prosecution Service to update the court in three months, before they rule on the petition.

The court issued a temporary order in March 2019 requesting the prosecutors to explain why it was not giving temporary residence to the refugees before a final decision is made on their status. Since then, the state has repeatedly delayed its response, pointing to continuous communications between Israeli, US and Sudanese officials about reaching a normalisation deal that would allow the repatriation of the asylum seekers.

READ: How Israel is sowing the seeds of war in South Sudan

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