- An angry debate has ignited in Israel over the efforts of a US-based group to bring thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Critics charge that the North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry (NACOEJ), in an effort to spread Orthodox Judaism and beef up Israel's Jewish population, is "manufacturing Jews", luring Ethiopian Christians out of their villages.
According to these critics, the intention of the operation is to inflate the numbers of Ethiopian the group claims have Jewish ancestry by trading food and the promising exodus in exchange for religious conversion, the US weekly 'Newsweek International' reports in its latest issue.
There are currently 24,000 Falash Mura - Ethiopian Christians who claim Jewish ancestry - living in NACOEJ compounds in Addis Ababa and Gondar in northern Ethiopia. The US Jewish group feeds, educates and provides free health care to the Falash Mura, and indoctrinates them in Orthodox Jewish rituals.
Israeli officials, and some leaders of the Ethiopian Jewish community, charge that "NACOEJ aggressively recruits Falash Mura in rural Ethiopia," 'Newsweek' reports. Unemployment is rife among those who move into the compounds. According to many Israeli officials, barely 40 percent of the Ethiopians in the Addis Abba compound have Jewish roots.
The US group however insists that all the Ethiopians in the compounds are Jews, and the group has found an alliance with some powerful sectors of Israeli society.
Amid fears that Muslims may soon outnumber Jews in Israel and the occupied territories, some leaders of Israel's ruling Likud Party and Israeli religious right wingers see "resettling the Falash Mura as one way of guaranteeing the strength of the Jewish population," reports 'Newsweek' correspondent Joshua Hammer in the magazine's 2 February issue.
Early this month, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom announced that he would speed up the resettlement of the Falash Mura. But Shalom's promise provoked a backlash from lawmakers who question the authenticity of the Falash Mura's claims, and who argue that Israel can't afford the speedy resettlement of thousands of destitute Ethiopians.
Tzipi Livne, Israel's Minister of Immigrant Absorption, estimates that 10,000 of the 24,000 in the compounds will qualify for immigration and believes strict limits must be drawn. "You could have a chain of family members demanding to come in," she says. "Where does it end?"
Ethiopia is one of the African countries nurturing the closest relations with Israel. This was latest underlined by a three-day visit of a high level Israeli government and business delegation led by Deputy Prime minister and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on 6-9 January.
During the Israeli visit, closer cooperation in the trade, investment, industry and agriculture sectors were agreed upon, in addition to the establishment of "a mechanism to have regular consultations at the ministerial and senior official levels."
Also the question of the Falash Mura was debated during the meetings. While Israel is bolstering food aid to Ethiopia and investments in the country, the Addis Ababa government has not hesitated aiding the Israeli government and Jewish organisations in organising the Falash Mura exodus to Israel.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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