Israel to allow 3,000 Ethiopian Jews to immigrate

By JOSEF FEDERMAN
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s government has approved the immigration of several thousand Ethiopian Jews, some of whom have waited for decades to join their relatives in Israel. Sunday’s decision took a step toward resolving an issue that has long complicated relations with the country’s Ethiopian community. Some 140,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel. Community leaders estimate that roughly 6,000 others remain behind in Ethiopia. Although the families are of Jewish descent, Israel does not consider them Jewish under religious law. Instead, they have been fighting to enter the country under a family-unification program that requires special government approval.