Petr Lukimson, Israel. Exclusively to VK
In early May the story of a little resident of the village of Zarzir, Adel Diabatov, became the focus of attention of Israeli society. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Israel doesn’t give a birth certificate to Adel, and the boy has no right even to health insurance. The situation arose because the child was born in Turkey.
Two years ago Amal and Khaitam Diabat undertook a tourist trip to Turkey. The young couple were in an accident and Khaitam, who was pregnant, gave birth to son before her due date. Those days saw the dramatic events around the Gaza Freedom Fleet and the Mavi Marmara, and anti-Israeli sentiments were at peak in Turkey. Doctors and the administration at the Turkish hospital didn’t care that Amil and Khaitam were Arabs, not Jews, they were citizens of Israel.
Amal Diabat says that he had to pay $4000 for health service, but personnel still treated his wife badly. Khaitam was discharged from the hospital on the third day after delivery, and the administration of the hospital refused to give the parents an official certificate of the child’s birth. Only one of doctors took pity on them and gave the certificate.
After returning to Israel, Diavats decided to register their baby only seven months after his birthday. It was a mistake – they faced the world-famous Israeli bureaucracy. The bureaucracy also didn’t care whether it concerned a Jew or an Arab, it cared about formalities. According to the Israeli law, parents should present the birth certificate from the hospital where a child was born. Diabats had no such document, while the certificate given by the doctor had no official force.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Israel recommended the couple to request the certificate from the Turkish embassy. But the embassy didn’t help. The parents ran from pillar to post and sent numerous requests. Two years passed. Adel doesn’t exist officially.
The story reminds everybody that victims of cooling in relations between two countries are often people who are far from politics, even babies. Maybe politicians should meet each other halfway in favor of these babies, shouldn’t they?
