Israeli Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Education Ministry and the city of Eilat to integrate the children of most Somali and Eritrean infiltrators and asylum-seekers before Monday, the beginning of the new school year.

Several thousands of such migrants live in the southern Red Sea port -- most working in the tourist center's burgeoning hotel industry, but many local residents say they do not want their kids in their schools. The children have studied in a separate facility over the last four years, which the court said was "illegal."

There are an estimated 50 or so children at issue, although the number varies since many of the parents, who are here illegally, are difficult to track down, and many are transients, according to The Jerusalem Post.

The State Prosecution, which represents the ministry, earlier this week appealed a recent Beersheba district court ruling forcing the city to enroll the children in local schools.

In their appeal, the state pointed to a school in Tel Aviv, Bialik Rogozin, as an example of unsuccessful integration. But, as the Ha'aretz daily pointed out, the school was awarded the National Education Prize in 2011, and was the subject of an Oscar- winning film on its methods.

However, the state charged that "the de facto attempt detailed above indicates that integrating infiltrators' children into the regular education system does not give a proper answer to the infiltrators' children and harms them."

According to the appeal, "the overwhelming majority of infiltrators' children in Tel Aviv study de facto in two schools -- Bialik Rogozin and Hayarden," noting that "experience indicates that the said integration is severely damaging, causing harm to the other children studying at the school, and does not enable them and the teaching and administrative staff (to operate) a functioning, advanced educational and learning framework."

The court's justices, however, were unconvinced by the state's contentions, and hinted at a racial basis for the exclusionary policy.

"I don't know what would happen in a different country if the government would tell an ethnic group, not necessarily Jews, that due to certain circumstances, it is best if they enrolled their children in a different school," said Justice Yoram Danziger.