Hundreds of prospective Ethiopian immigrants attacked Interior Ministry representatives Wednesday who arrived to bring them letters saying their request to immigrate had been rejected.

Several ministry delegates flew Wednesday morning to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa to distribute the letters.

After the disturbances began, police helped the representatives flee the area.

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Nagesh Asfa, who has been waiting in Addis Ababa to immigrate for three years, told Haaretz by phone that "the rumor about the rejection letters that were to be distributed to us was spread for a long time by the Israeli sources. The local community decided to decline to accept the letters."

Asfa said Interior Ministry representatives arrived Wednesday morning to a clinic frequented by prospective immigrants.

"When [the applicants] started to open the letters, a big commotion began and [the representatives] fled the area back to their offices. People were screaming and it was a big mess," he said.

The Interior Ministry said "the process of checking the requests that were submitted in Addis Ababa and the decision on entitlement to entry into Israel has ended. In the framework of completing the process, the letters were expected to be distributed Wednesday morning to an initial group - which do not meet the criteria set by the government in February 2003."

"The letters were delivered by local delegates sent specifically for that purpose. Unfortunately, they were unable to perform their work and the letters were not delivered as planned. Nonetheless, the families will be notified by alternative means and efforts to pass on the information personally will continue," it said.

Following an in-depth investigation, the ministry concluded earlier this week that the applicants had no linkage to the Ethiopian Falashmura tribe, who are eligible to immigrate to Israel.

The Falashmura claim Jewish ancestry, despite having converted to Christianity over the years.

The letter distribution is slated to begin on Wednesday and be completed by next Saturday. Organizations that promote Falashmura aliyah to Israel predict that the letters will spark unrest.

Three weeks ago, members of the applicants' families, who are currently living in Israel, received letters from the interior ministry stating that a link between their relatives and the Falashmura could not be found.

The rejected applicants have been waiting in camps in Gondar and Addis Ababa for several years, in hopes of receiving consent to come to Israel. Many of them claim they have Jewish roots from hundreds of years ago, but they are often unable to provide documentation or testimonies to prove their claims.

Last week, Ethiopian rabbis and spiritual leaders (keisim) called on the government to halt the Falashmura aliyah to Israel, citing concerns that many of the Falashmura are engaged in Christian missionary activity.

Until now, 90% of applicants among the Falashmura have been authorized for immigration.

Nearly 7,000 applicants are still waiting in Gondar and the capital, among them nearly 1,500 who meet immigration criteria and are waiting to immigrate in the coming months.

The Interior Ministry said that the review process is expected to be completed by the middle of the year.