Another 3,000 Ethiopians are allowed by the Israeli government to immigrate to Israel and join their families there.
It concerns people who have a parent, child, brother or sister in Israel. They may then bring their partners, minor children and unmarried adult children with them. People whose parents emigrated to Israel and died there are also welcome.
The people who are allowed to come over are known in Ethiopia as Falash Mura. They are descendants of Ethiopian Jews who converted to Christianity over the centuries, often under the coercion of the emperors.
family reunification
Although many of them profess the Jewish faith, Israel does not see them as Jews under orthodox religious precepts. That’s why they don’t just qualify for immigration. They are now welcome in Israel under the rules for family reunification.
Several operations have been carried out since the 1980s, bringing tens of thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Just last year, the Israeli government gave the green light to the immigration of 2,000 Ethiopians.
Violence in Ethiopia
“Today we end longstanding injustices,” said Israeli Immigration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata, herself an Ethiopian immigrant. “This is an important decision for the Ethiopian community in Israel and their families.”
One of the reasons for the latest decision is the escalating violence in Ethiopia. Thousands of people have been killed in clashes between the government army and rebels over the past year. In addition, according to the UN and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, all parties are guilty of possible war crimes. There is also a famine.
About 140,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel, who often have a hard time. They are discriminated against and can often only find work in the military.
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