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Last update - 02:49 03/06/2008 In about-face, government may open doors to Falashmura immigration By Anshel Pfeffer Tags: Falashmura, Israel In a reversal of its position, the government has decided to consider examining the eligibility for immigration of an additional 8,700 Falashmura. But people at the meeting on the subject at the Prime Minister's Office on Sunday complained that the decision was politically motivated and contradicted the recommendations of professional bodies. The Falashmura are descendants of Ethiopian Jews who converted to Christianity. In 2005, the cabinet decided that it would stop bringing them to Israel at the end of this month, as by then, all of those eligible to immigrate would have arrived. Advertisement However, various American Jewish groups involved in the effort to bring the Falashmura to Israel claimed that there were still some 8,700 Ethiopians in Addis Ababa who were eligible to immigrate. They therefore demanded the government examine their eligibility and, if confirmed, bring them here. And the Shas party, a key coalition faction, seconded this demand. In response to this pressure, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert recently agreed to reconsider the 2005 decision - even though the Interior Ministry representatives responsible for checking eligibility left Addis Ababa six months ago, in line with that decision. His staff is currently studying the issue, and Olmert is expected to make a final decision in a few weeks. Both Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit and the Jewish Agency favor sticking with the original deadline. They argue that Israel has already brought in more Falashmura than were actually eligible, and that unless the government sets a firm deadline, the process will be endless, as there will always be more Ethiopians claiming eligibility and demanding that their claim be examined. "All the professionals in the relevant ministries agreed we should stick to the original government decision, and that reopening the matter would cause complete chaos, because today, there is no database, means or mechanism for examining [the claims of] additional thousands of Ethiopians," objected a senior Jewish Agency Official. "But the message we got from Olmert contradicted this position," the official continued. Thus far, some 26,000 Falashmura have immigrated to Israel, accounting for about one-third of the total number of Ethiopian immigrants who have come here. The official criteria for Falashmura immigrants are that they must be descended from Jews through the female line and have close relatives in Israel. Meanwhile, yesterday was the annual memorial day for the 4,000 Ethiopian Jews who died en route to Israel. Throughout the 1980s, the only way for them to get to Israel was by trekking across Sudan on foot, and many died in the effort. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Word wars Hamas reverses effort to improve portrayal of Jews in Palestinian text books. Cyber-pimps beware MK Gal-On's proposed bill would jail 'online brothel managers' for 5 years.   1.   if they want to cast in their lot with us we should welcome them 07:56  |  ralph 03/06/08   2.   immigration and the right of return 09:55  |  Leon 03/06/08   3.   Jewish Agency Perfidy again 11:47  |  Ben Hecht 03/06/08   4.   Ben #3 12:53  |  Eli B 03/06/08   5.   So Did apartheid era South Africa 01:20  |  Lee Kaplan 04/06/08   6.   Do they really want to be Jewish 08:47  |  Susan 04/06/08

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