The families of the children caught in the "Lev Tahor" cult in Guatemala have called on the Israeli government to push for their extradition. During a Tuesday meeting of the Knesset's Immigration, Integration, and Diaspora Committee, it became clear that although Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar has spoken with his Guatemalan counterpart, the Israeli government has not yet submitted an official request for the minors to be returned to Israel. As of now, a representative is not expected to be sent to the coming legal discussions in the country. Orit Cohen Amir, a representative for the families, slammed: "I have to go to the court in Guatemala as an ordinary citizen. We have put out hundreds of thousands of shekels from our private pockets, but the State of Israel has not even bothered to file an official request for the children's return. My brother is forced to falsify passports in order to remove children from the cult - but even then, Israel refused to bring them home." Related articles: 6-year-old girl rescued from Lev Tahor and returned to family Senior Lev Tahor member arrested 'Lev Tahor is a terrorist group' Cult leaders order mothers to starve children MK Gilad Kariv, a member of the Committee, slammed the Interior Ministry for its unrealistic bureaucratic demands: "There are minors with guardianship orders, but the Interior Ministry is demanding from them documents which cannot be obtained - this is simply not acceptable to me." Rachel Lichtenstein, head of the Israeli Center for Cult Victims, warned that Israel is behind on critical timetables: "We are behind in legal processes. The State of Israel must activate all of its diplomatic weight and skip the stage of courts as much as possible - because we are talking about saving lives here." The Foreign Ministry responded: "The legal process is advancing and we are working to close legal representation for the families. This is not abandonment." Kariv demanded a clear answer as to whether the government intends to appear in a legal process itself, and called on the Jewish Agency and the Joint (American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee) "to join the picture and help as much as possible." "The fate of the children will become clear in the coming days - but in the eyes of their families, the State's responsibility is already being clarified now," he said.
