Netanyahu: First plane of Ethiopian Jews to arrive next week

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells a Likud event targeting the Ethiopian Israeli community in Rishon Lezion that a plan approved last week to bring almost 400 Ethiopian Jews to Israel is likely to get underway next week.

“I believe that the first plane will be on its way already next week,” the prime minister says of the measure that will allow Ethiopian Jews to reunite with family members already living in Israel.

The cabinet approved the measure despite opposition over the timing from Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit who argued in a legal opinion that the move could be interpreted as a campaign ploy directed at Ethiopian-Israelis just weeks before the March 2 election.

Likud is seeking to woo Ethiopian Jews ahead of the national vote. Many members of the community turned their backs on the ruling party in last year’s elections, following a series of high-profile incidents of police violence and amid ongoing concerns over government neglect and discrimination toward the community.

— Raoul Wootliff