6-year-old Israeli survivor of cable car crash ordered to return to Italy

“In this case, there are no winners or losers – just Eitan.”

By World Israel News Staff

Eitan Biran, the six-year-old sole survivor of a cable car crash in northern Italy that took place last May, will return from Israel to Italy to live with his Italian aunt, the Tel Aviv Family Court ordered on Monday.

Biran had been brought to Israel illegally by his maternal grandfather Shmulik Peleg several months after recovering from the incident.

Peleg has said on national TV that he did not believe he was doing anything wrong and that he traveled with the boy openly and transparently.

The court said that the grandfather had violated international law by removing Biran without court permission.

Some 14 people died in the cable car crash, including Eitan’s whole family – father Amit Biran, mother Tal Peleg, baby brother Tom and his great-grandparents.

The court deemed the boy should go back to Italy because he is closer and more familiar with his family living there, and because that is where he has spent most of his life. Custody was given to Amit Biran’s sister, who has two children around Biran’s age.

The court did request a one-week delay in execution of its plan to allow Peleg to appeal the decision. If an appeal is filed, it said, then there will be further delay while the court hears the appeal.

The lawyers for the Biran family said in a statement that while they welcome the ruling, “we believe in this case, there are no winners or losers – just Eitan. All we want now is for Eitan to return home soon to his friends at school and his family, and especially to the therapeutic and educational frameworks he so desperately needs.”