Officials in the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday 27 Adar-I announced Israel is going to bring an additional 500 members of the Falashmura community in Ethiopia to Israel and not 9,000 as was decided earlier. First priority is being given to the infirmed, elderly and those who remain alone. Discussion regarding the plight of the remaining 8,500 has been put on hold.

The announcement came as an unwelcome surprise for many as the cabinet in November 2015 approved bringing the remaining 9,000 Falashmura from camps in Gondar and Addis Ababa within five years.

PMO’s Director-General Eli Groner explains that due to a lack of funding, the discussion pertaining to the remaining Falashmura is on hold until following discussion on the 2017 state budget. Groner explained that in line with the new law that impacts the Economic Arrangements Bill, the government must find a source of funding for its financial commitments and this compels holding off on bringing all the Falashmura to Israel as planned, citing treasury estimates for the multi-year operation in the area of NIS 2.2 billion.

One critic, MK (Machane Tzioni) Shelly Yacimovich decried the announced decision, stating if the explanation regarding the Economic Arrangements Bill is really the cause, then one must question how Operation Protective Edge was launched since there was no source of funding.

There is also criticism from the dati leumi tzibur, which feels the real reason behind the postponement is the fact the Chief Rabbinate of Israel does not accept the Jewishness of the Falashmura.

Falashmura is the name given to members of Ethiopia’s Jewish community who converted to Christianity under duress in the 19th and 20th centuries.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)