Falashmura slam gov't treatment of immigration applications

Falashmura seeking to immigrate to Israel from Ethiopia's Gondar region submitted numerous complaints about their treatment to State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss, who visited Ethiopia last week at the request of the Knesset State Control Committee.

Some Falashmura said they had been waiting more than ten years for a response to their immigration application.

Lindenstrauss was acting under the committee's instructions to probe the treatment of the Ethiopian community by successive Israeli governments. He visited a compound in the northern region where thousands of Falashmura are awaiting approval for their immigration applications.

There has generally been only one consular official to handle thousands of applicants, the Falashmura said, and the Interior Ministry has refused to consider the applications of some 8,500 people who, they claim, meet the government's criteria.

They also stated that the Israeli compound suffers from shortages of food and basic medical equipment, resulting in infant deaths.

Furthermore, the Falashmura complained that since former interior minister Natan Sharansky's visit in 2000, no other senior government figure has been in contact with them.

For its part, the Interior Ministry has pointed to one case where it did not succeed in locating 650 people who were on a list of names which had been checked, but according to the Falashmura, a large number of this group was were in fact situated in the compound.

The Falashmura also characterized the relationship with the Israeli embassy in Addis Ababa as one of alienation.

The government decided over a year ago that by June this year it would stop bringing over Falashmura and close its offices in Ethiopia. At this point the last 800 members of the community whose immigration requests had been approved would be brought over, and the rest would remain in Gondar.

About a month ago, the Interior Ministry recalled from Ethiopia its representatives who were involved in checking the applications. The ministry has stated that from now on, whoever whishes to immigrate will need to send their request to Israel for consideration.

An organization of Ethiopian immigrants together with American-Jewish groups are attempting to reverse the government decision via a petition to the High Court, and a Knesset bill.

	Ethiopian immigrants demonstrating across from the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, in 2006. (Daniel Bar On / BauBau)