Israel
By Yoni Weiss
YERUSHALAYIM -
Thursday, March 11, 2021 at 6:38 am | כ ז אדר תשפ א
Nearly 300 new immigrants from Ethiopia landed at Ben Gurion International Airport on Thursday on the ninth and final flight of “Operation Tzur Yisrael,” launched in December as part of the government’s efforts to assist 2,000 members from the Ethiopian community to make
aliyah.
The new immigrants join the 1,700 other Ethiopians who have already arrived as part of the aerial shuttle, spearheaded by Aliyah and Integration Minister MK Pnina Tamano-Shata and Jewish Agency Chairman Yitzchak Herzog.
“The final Operation Tzur Yisrael arrived today, reuniting countless families after far too many years apart. This is a moment that tugs at the heartstrings, reminding us that our mission to bring the remaining members of the community waiting to make
COVID Ban on Flights Keeps Out Ethiopian Immigrants
COVID Ban on Flights Keeps Out Ethiopian Immigrants
300 Ethiopian Jews had been scheduled to arrive at Ben Gurion Airport as part of a plan that allowed 1,600 new immigrants. By Jan Jaben-Eilon January 29, 2021, 3:44 pm Edit 8 shares
Members of the Bitao family who arrived on January 22, 2021 as part of Operation Tzur Yisrael kiss the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport (Avi Hayun/Keren Hayesod)
Last week’s ban on passenger airplanes arriving into Ben Gurion Airport, an attempt to control coronavirus variants, halted even incoming planes carrying new immigrants – a first for the State of Israel.