Ethiopian immigration gets green light (Yeah, Israel is an apartheid, right...)

Jerusalem Post ^ | Feb. 16, 2003 | TOVAH LAZAROFF

[yonif]

The cabinet unanimously agreed Sunday to speed up the immigration of the 20,000 Ethiopian Jews waiting in refugee camps to come to Israel.

The cabinet appointed Interior Minister Eli Yishai to head a committee to oversee the process.

Advocates hope the cabinet decision has removed the last legal obstacle to the immigration of Ethiopian Jews, many of whom are in danger of dying of starvation and have been separated from their families for years.

"It's a historical decision," said Abraham Neguse, executive director of Southwing to Zion, an Ethiopian advocacy group. "It reunites families and ends the suffering and tears of many Jews."

He added that knowing the refugees will eventually end up in Israel allows organizations such as the Joint Distribution Committee, the Jewish Agency, and the United Jewish Communities to increase the humanitarian aid they give the Ethiopian refugees awaiting immigration approval.

No timetable has been set for the immigration process, said Tova Ellinson, an Interior Ministry spokeswoman. She did, however, say that they will not all arrive at once, because moving them in a single airlift could push the Ethiopian government to oppose the immigration. Ellinson said a slower, more responsible immigration process, drawn out over a year or two, would be more successful.

Ellinson said it is assumed that upon investigation, most of the Ethiopian immigrants will be proven to be Jewish. Those awaiting approval in the camps are Falash Mura, Ethiopians of Jewish descent, many of whom converted to Christianity over the past several generations under severe economic and social pressure. In the past decade they have returned to Judaism and live as observant Jews.

While their status as Jews has been a subject of debate, Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef has declared that the Falash Mura are Jewish. Based on this ruling, Yishai has expressed similar sentiments to the Ethiopian community, promising that he will do his best to bring the Falash Mura to Israel as soon as possible.

Upon learning that he needed a cabinet ruling to speed up the immigration process, Yishai tried to bring the issue before the ministers last month. At that time, however, Attorney-General Elyakim Rubinstein ruled that no action could be taken on the matter prior to the election.

Jewish Agency spokesman Yehuda Weinraub said the agency still hadn't received details regarding the decision. "I don't know what our role will be," he said.

Last year, 2,656 Ethiopian Jews arrived in Israel, the majority (1,917) arriving by July 30. In 2001, 3,274 came to Israel. More than 60,000 Ethiopian Jews have immigrated to Israel since 1980.