Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will, on Monday (12 October 2020), submit for Cabinet approval a proposal to invest NIS 370 million in bringing 2,000 members of the Falash Mura community to Israel. The Prime Minister is continuing to work to bring members of the Falash Mura community to Israel and this decision joins his previous decisions as a result of which thousands of members of the community have come to Israel in recent years.
Prime Minister Netanyahu: “Six months ago, I promised to bring the remainder of the Ethiopian Jewish community to Israel. Next Monday, I will submit for Cabinet approval a decision to bring 2,000 of our people of Ethiopian origin, on the way toward bringing all of the rest. We have also invested NIS 80 million in community activities. We are living up to our commitment.”
Deputy Minister Desta Yevarken:
“Six months ago, here, the Prime Minister and I promised the community of our people of Ethiopian origin that we would continue Ethiopian aliyah. And here, today, Mr. Prime Minister, congratulations, I thank you on behalf of the community for the continued aliyah that you are ensuring.
”Despite the racist calls that we are hearing, here is the answer. The best answer is the continued aliyah of Ethiopian Jews and not condescension toward them; neither is it to say thank you to someone who was at some corner or intersection during our aliyah. I do not think that there has been a prime minister here who has brought more Ethiopian Jews than you, tens of thousands, since you became prime minister, and I thank you. Thank you very much and happy New Year.”
“In 1997, Prime Minister Netanyahu initiated the aliyah of members of the Falash Mura community. Since then, around 30,000 have made aliyah. In its past term, the government approved the aliyah of another approximately 2,300 members of the community. All of this has been in parallel to extensive and unprecedented efforts led by the Prime Minister to invest hundreds of millions of shekels in the absorption and integration of all those from Ethiopia into Israeli society.”
