Falashmura in Addis Ababa (archives)
Photo: AFP
Ethiopia: 80 Falashmura injured during protest outside Israeli embassy
Some 2,000 Ethiopian Jews demonstrate in front of embassy in Addis Ababa; demand to be allowed to make aliyah. Eighty protesters arrested
The Ethiopian police arrested some 80 Jewish protesters and injured another 80 during a mass protest outside the Israeli embassy in Addis Ababa, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
Chairman of the Beta Israel Association Hamse Sutotow said 2,000 Ethiopian Falashmura gathered Wednesday at the Israeli Embassy. The protesters were demanding the right to Israeli citizenship.
Jewish Immigration
Yael Branovsky
After years of waiting in transition camps, thousands of Jews from Falashmura denomination in Ethiopia will be brought to Israel. 'We have moral obligation to end humanitarian crisis,' prime minister says
In the past, frustrated Falashmura members declared a hunger strike in an effort to pressure the authorities in Israel to let them make aliyah.
In 2010, the Israeli government approved the immigration of some 8,000 Falashmura members over the next three years.
"These are the seeds of Israel – men, women and children – who currently find themselves in the worst living conditions," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the time.
"This really is the case of a complex humanitarian crisis. We must prevent the emergence of additional refugee camps in Ethiopia," he added.
As per the government decision, there will be no additional organized aliyah of Falashmura members once this project is completed.
Moreover, no one claiming to be a member of the Falashmura denomination will be granted the right to make aliyah. Entrance to Israel will be allowed on an individual basis, in accordance with the Law of Return and the interior minister's decision.
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