Friday, July 17, 2009

Israel may admit 3,000 Ethiopia migrants if Jews

Reuters, By Allyn Fisher-Ilan (16/7/2009) *Israeli envoys in Ethiopia to check would-be emigrants *Interior Minister wants to renew influx Israel has sent envoys to Ethiopia to examine the applications of 3,000 Ethiopians who claim to be descended from Jews and are waiting in transit camps to emigrate to Israel, an official said on Thursday. Some 100,000 Jews from Ethiopia already live in Israel. Many arrived in airlifts in the 1980s and 1990s in times of hunger and political strife in Ethiopia. Thousands more Falash Mura people, who claim they were forced to convert to Christianity in Ethiopia, have also immigrated in smaller groups, but Israel largely halted the flow about two years ago. Some Israeli officials cited financial concern and questions about the applicants' Jewish origins as reasons for the halt... Israel grants automatic citizenship to Jews who immigrate. Most Falash Mura must undergo a conversion ritual before receiving citizenship papers. Click here for full story