(NEWS) Israel To Approve Airlift Of 8,000 Ethiopian Falashmura

"Operation will end campaign to bring in Ethiopia's remaining Falashmura, whose opponents claim they should not be recognized as Jews.

The cabinet is expected to approve plans today to bring another 7,846 members of the Ethiopian Falashmura community to Israel over the next four years. Activists who support the rights of the Falashmura to immigrate to Israel have promised to end all lobbying activities on their behalf if the proposal is approved.

Over the past decade, the cabinet has voted several times to bring to Israel the remaining members of the Falashmura in Ethiopia. But each time, it discovered that the transit camps in northern Ethiopia, where they were based, were being filled with Ethiopians who claimed to belong to the 'Seed of Israel' and had relatives in Israel."

(NEWS) Jewish Agency Allocates Funds To Bring Remaining Ethiopians

"$4.7 million allocated to bring 8,700 Falash Mura olim who claim Jewish ancestry; Chief Rabbis Amar, Ovadia confirm Jewish credentials.

The Jewish Agency for Israel on Tuesday allocated $4.7 million to help bring the remaining 8,700 Ethiopians claiming Jewish ancestry and seeking to make aliya from the African country to Israel.

The vote at the organization’s Board of Governors meeting in Jerusalem was held in anticipation of a cabinet meeting set to take place early next week, in which the government is expected to approve the absorption of the would-be olim waiting in transit camps."