Thousands protest to let Ethiopians into Israel

JERUSALEM – Thousands of Israelis from the Ethiopian community demonstrated on Sunday to demand the government let Ethiopians into Israel amid civil war in the Horn of Africa nation.

Around 4,000 Israelis rallied outside the prime minister’s office in West Jerusalem to call for saving their relatives in Ethiopia, the Israel Hayom newspaper reported.

The rally was attended by Israeli Immigration and Absorption Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata, who is of Ethiopian origin.

Tamano-Shata and Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked held a meeting last week and agreed to expedite the immigration of Ethiopian Jews to Israel.

On Nov. 8, Israeli Channel 13 revealed that dozens of Ethiopian immigrants who recently arrived in Israel were not of Jewish origin.

According to Haaretz newspaper, out of the 61 Ethiopians who were recently brought to Israel, only four of them had Jewish roots.

According to Israeli official figures, there are 148,000 Ethiopian Jews in Israel, including 61,000 born in Israel.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara