Nagosa. Only ones with a quota
Photo: Alex Kolomoisky
Lindenstrauss. To look into issue
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Orlev. Ashamed
Photo: Niv Calderon
MK Orlev: Quotas for Ethiopians like White Paper of 1939
State comptroller to look into government's policy on bringing remainder of Ethiopian Jewry to Israel, Knesset's State Control Committee decides
State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss will look into the government's conduct in terms of the immigration of the remainder of Ethiopian Jewry to Israel,
the Knesset's State Control Committee decided Wednesday.
The committee convened Wednesday morning for a special discussion on the implementation of the government's decisions on the issue.
The committee's chairman, Knesset Member Zevulun Orlev (National Union-National Religious Party) said that the government's policy on the issue reminded him of the White Paper of 1939 – the same limitations imposed by the British government on the immigration to Israel.
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According to MK Orlev, the committee recently received complaints from different groups wondering why the government's decisions to bring the remainder of the Ethiopian Jewry to Israel were not being implemented, and demanding that the state comptroller look into the issue.
Orlev argued that "the government's decisions to impose quotas for the immigration of Ethiopian Jews remind me of the White Paper. There were no quotas in any immigration, apart from that of the Ethiopian Jewry.
"I have been involved in this issue for many years, and I stand ashamed before those engaged in this activity, as I have no answers regarding the State's conduct in terms of this issue, which is the heart of the State of Israel as a Jewish state."
Orlev added, "Rabbi Amar ruled in the past that Ethiopia's Jews are complete Jews and that there is no doubt that it is a commandment and a duty to save them and bring them to our country, according to the acceptable examinations. My impression is that the Israeli governments have completely failed here."
'A scandalous decision'
Avraham Nagosa, the Ethiopian community's representative, said during the discussion," The quota today is 300 immigrants from Ethiopia a month. This is the only community imposed with a quota.
"In addition, someone made a scandalous decision to only work with the list in Gondar and Adis Ababa and ignore the list of people in the villages."
Nagosa added that there were some 8,000 people in Ethiopia outside the Gondar camp, who were not entitled to immigrate and whose condition was deteriorating due to the fact that they were not receiving medical care.
He went on to say that the examination into the potential immigrant's Judaism was carried out only according to the head of the family. In such a situation, if the head of the family is the son of a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother, the rest of the family is not dealt with, although his wife may be the daughter of a Jewish mother.
"I call on the state comptroller to look into the decisions made by the Interior Ministry, which are discriminating against the community," Nagosa concluded.
Former Supreme Court President Meir Shamgar, the honorary president of the public committee for the remainder of the Ethiopian Jewry, also stressed the importance in bringing the remainder of Ethiopian Jews to Israel, and each person's right to ask to immigrate to Israel if he meets the law's requirements.
