Legal red tape is preventing two Israeli children from returning home until the end of the year or longer. In July, the Jewish Chronicle reported that a 12-year-old girl was sent to the UK alone by her mother; her 9-year-old brother arrived a year earlier to live with a family friend in Leeds. The girl, who is staying in a hostel in London, has now claimed asylum in the UK. Officials in both countries are working to repatriate the children but have been hampered by international law governing minors. Additionally, asylum cases can take years to resolve, according to the Israeli Ministry of Social Affairs. The children’s case remains under police investigation and Chief Inspector Avi Rosh of Tel Aviv District Police said he expects to charge the mother with neglect of a minor and abandoning a minor.
