February 17, 2013

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the treatment of seven wounded Syrians in an Israeli hospital “exceptional, isolated cases.”

The men were wounded Saturday near Israel’s security fence with Syria in the Golan Heights during clashes between the Syrian army and rebel forces in Syria’s two-year civil war.

During the regular weekly Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said of the civil war in Syria: “Yesterday, we saw that the fighting is also approaching our border. We will continue to guard our border and prevent passage and entry to Israel, except for exceptional, isolated cases, every one will be considered on its merits.”

Israel Defense Forces soldiers discovered the injured men near the security fence and brought them to Ziv Hospital in Safed, Haaretz reported. The newspaper reported that the men likely are rebels. One reportedly was severely wounded and the rest were injured from bullets and shrapnel, according to Haaretz. The men are being isolated from other patients and are expected to remain in the hospital for one week.

Druze communities on the Golan Heights reportedly have asked the army to allow the men to stay in Israel or be sent to a third country that will accept them as refugees, the Israeli daily Maariv reported.  
 

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