Italy probes ‘abduction’ of Israeli boy, 6, who survived cable car accident
Eitan Biran, the sole survivor of the horrific accident in May, is reportedly back in Israel after being flown there by his late father's relatives
Michael Daventry is Jewish News’s foreign and broadcast editor
Prosecutors in northern Italy are investigating reports that a six-year-old Israeli boy who survived a cable car accident in May has been abducted.
Eitan Biran was reportedly taken back to Israel by his maternal grandmother over the weekend.
He had become the subject of a custody battle between aunts on opposite sides of his family after the accident near Lake Maggiore that killed his parents, great-grandparents and two-year-old brother.
Eitan suffered severe injuries but appears to have survived because of his father, who cushioned his fall.
He was subsequently put by Italian authorities into the care of his paternal aunt Aya Biran-Nirko.
But his maternal relatives vowed to challenge the decision, saying the child was being held “hostage”.
Italian media reports said Eitan was driven last weekend across the border with Switzerland and flown to Tel Aviv on a private jet.
The Ansa news agency reported Cristina Pagni, one of Aya Biran’s lawyers, saying she planned to appeal to a judge under the 1980 Hague Abduction Convention to have Eitan returned.
The child’s family in Israel told local media that he was being given “psychological and medical care” at a hospital on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.
“We did not kidnap Eitan and we will not use that word,” said Gali Peleg, the boy’s maternal aunt, in an interview with Radio103FM.
“We brought Eitan back home. We had to do it after we received no information on his health or mental condition. If the judge had not scheduled meetings [with the child], we would not have seen him.”
But legal experts told Israel’s Channel 12 that Eitan would likely have to be returned to Italy under international law.
Prosecutors in Pavia have begun an investigation, Ansa reported.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
