Ethiopian Jewish groups in Israel say there are still about 8,000 falash mura in Gondar, Ethiopia, seeking to move to Israel
(Telegraph.co.uk) By Ben Lynfield in JERUSALEM — The move evoked a furious reaction from leaders of the 120,000-strong Ethiopian Jewish community in Israel, who said the “discrimination” and “prejudice” of the Israeli government would strand thousands of people in Africa and thwart family reunifications.
Government spokesman Mark Regev said the step “will enable us to focus more effectively and invest resources on the successful integration of Ethiopian immigrants”.
He added that the government was abiding by a cabinet decision in 2003 to bring to Israel a total of 17,000 Ethiopians, known as falash mura, who are descendants of Ethiopian Jews who converted to Christianity but who consider themselves Jewish.
In accordance with the quota, the falash mura have been flown to Israel at a rate of about three hundred a month since 2003, with the last group of 61 of them arriving yesterday.
Israel mounted major operations – codenamed Moses and Solomon – to bring thousands of Ethiopian Jews to the country in 1984 and 1991, depicting the immigration as fulfilment of the biblical prophecy of a gathering of Jewish exiles to Zion.
But the Ethiopian community of about 120,000 immigrants and their descendants is the poorest sector of the Israeli Jewish population and is beset by unemployment and school drop-out rates, although there have also been success stories.
In an affirmative action to make up for their impoverished background the government has underwritten their mortgages.
Ethiopian Jewish groups in Israel say there are still about 8,000 falash mura in Gondar, Ethiopia, seeking to move to Israel.
“It is inconceivable that the descendants of Jews and Jews, who need to emigrate, should have the door shut on them,” said Danny Kasahon, director of a coalition of Ethiopian lobbying groups.. “There are many families here who have parents or children in Ethiopia waiting to come to Israel.”
“This is discrimination. It cannot be defined by any other word. It could be based on prejudice,” Mr. Kasahon added.
Mr Regev denied the charge and said there could still be family reunifications “on a case by case basis”, but added that “collective mass immigration is behind us.”
NEW YORK, August 5, 2008 – A professor at The Faculty of Health Sciences at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) is beginning an intensive program in Ethiopia this August to eradicate intestinal worms which affect as much as 50 percent of the population in Africa.
BGU Professor Zvi Bentwich, who heads the Center for Tropical Diseases and AIDS in Israel (CEMTA), believes there is a possible connection between the AIDS epidemic in Africa and intestinal worms, one of the many Neglected Tropical Diseases which affect nearly one quarter of the world’s population.
Prof. Bentwich believes that intestinal worms can affect the immune system in such a profound way that it has a major impact on one’s susceptibility to HIV and tuberculosis, and in coping with these diseases when they are already there. “As head of the largest AIDS center, I dealt with a large number of Ethiopian HIV and AIDS patients, and through them became aware of the magnitude of this problem in Ethiopia,” he says.
The first stage of the operation to deworm about 30,000 people from three separate locations in Ethiopia begins in August. In the fall, the research project will focus on the town of Mekele in northern Ethiopia with approximately 250,000 inhabitants.
The program combines the provision and administration of antihelminthic medications, a few pills every four to six months, with hygiene education and information on how to protect populations from exposure to the parasites.
“NTDs are one of the most evident hallmark signs of poverty and neglect, significantly contributing to the persistence of this situation in a very large number of countries in Africa, Asia and South America,” Bentwich explains. “They have been largely neglected by the Western developed countries, since they are practically nonexistent there. “It costs much less than what it takes to fight the more recognized epidemics like AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.”
BGU is partnering with Global Network for the Fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases to help populations across Africa, including Ethiopia. The project is being funded by an international coalition of nonprofit organizations.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and American Associates
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is a world-renowned institute of research and higher learning with campuses in Beer-Sheva, Sede Boqer and Eilat in Israel’s southern desert. It is a university with a conscience, where the highest academic standards are integrated with community involvement, committed to sustainable development of the Negev. Founded in 1972, this year marks American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s 36th year of support, helping BGU develop the bold new vision for the Negev: the focus of the future of Israel. For more information, please visit www.aabgu.org.
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Tel: 212-290-9540, email: [email protected]
ADDIS ABABA — The state telecom monopoly, Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC), has suspended internet services in seven towns of the Oromia, Amhara and Harari regional states, as well as in Dire Dawa town.
The towns that have had internet services temporarily suspended as of July due to over subscriptions are Shashemene, Nekempte, Jimma and Adama (Nazareth) of Oromia, Dessie and Gondar of Amhara, Harar of Harari Regional State, and the entire Dire Dawa town.
A letter that Abnet Asrat, temporary general manager of Broadband Strategic Business Unit (SBU) wrote to Amare Amsalu, chief executive officer (CEO) of ETC and copied to other offices, requested the approval of the suspension of internet services to these areas. The reasons cited for the suspension are over subscription and a jammed bandwidth.
ETC has a maximum of 16 megabytes per second (mbps) link between Addis Abeba and the respective towns of Shashemene, Dessie, Dire Dawa and Adama. Harar and Gondar share the link from Dire Dawa and Bahir Dar, respectively, according to Abdurahim Ahmed, ETC corporate communication division manager.
The reason behind the selection of the mentioned towns over others is that the corporation has already reached the bandwidth limit in those towns. The recent subscription trend and feature in the towns indicate that the total average for internet and data services for three months have shown monthly subscriptions revenue of approximately less than one million Birr.
Thus, ETC will lose close to one million Birr in revenue each month till the end of the suspension, when the towns are back connected to the world. The resumption of the services requires upgrading of the transmission link between Addis Abeba and the regional towns. An ongoing expansion project that is expected to lead to the recommencement of Internet services in the eight towns, would cost more than 916,000 dollars, Abdurahim told Fortune.
The eight towns, half of which are from Oromia, including its capital, will remain disconnected for at least three months till the ongoing internet optimization project Sisco is finalized.
“It is estimated to last for twelve weeks, as per the Sisco company’s plan,” ETC states.
Amhara Regional State has the second highest number of the towns affected. Dessie and Gondar, where people, unaware of the latest move by ETC, will also have to experience the exasperation of seeing, “The page cannot be displayed” dialogue box on their computer screens.
Ethiopia is one of the countries where internet connectivity has not always been reliable, in sharp contrast to the high speed broadband link in developed countries where surfing the web, uploading and downloading are pleasant experiences.
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Chinese investors have built Ethiopia’s first glass factory worth $15 million, the Ministry of Trade and Industry announced on Tuesday.
The Chinese have been investing heavily in Africa, especially in resource rich areas. However, figures of their investment in Ethiopia were not readily available.
The China-Africa Development Fund, a private equity fund set up a year ago, funded the factory’s construction. It plans to spend about $300 million on projects on the continent in 2008.
“About 30 percent of the glass sheet produced by the factory will be for local use and the remaining 70 percent for export to East African countries,” the ministry said.
The Chinese construction company, CGC Overseas, built the factory in a suburb of the capital and plan to produce up to 60,000 tonnes of glass sheet per year, the ministry said.
Most raw materials such as silk sand and dolomite will be obtained locally but soda ash will be imported, it said.
CGC is involved in many development projects in Ethiopia including a $40 million water supply project for the historic eastern town of Harar and an agreement to import 2,000 construction vehicles for the Ministry of Works and Urban Development, according to government officials.
(Reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse, editing by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura and Victoria Main)
Dozens of drivers of Ethiopian descent were pulled over by police and breathalyzed in Ashdod last week only because of the color of their skin, a number of witnesses told The Jerusalem Post Monday.
The incident took place after a bar mitzva celebration that lasted until about 2 a.m., and which attracted some 1,200 guests from across the country, mostly Ethiopian Israelis.
Asher Tziyun, a public-sector worker from Ashdod, described leaving the event and seeing a large number of police vehicles on the road leading to Highway 4.
“I thought there was a terrorist attack,” he said. “They stopped each Ethiopian driver and breathalyzed them. I felt humiliated – they did not check any white drivers. I support police checks for drunk drivers, but this was much more than that. Police conduct here was based on race. I’ve been in the country for 30 years, and I’ve never felt that I don’t belong before this.”
Tziyun described the conduct of officers as “hostile and humiliating. They had a lack of respect, but what was the crime?” he asked.
Tziyun’s description was supported by Yisrael Beyene, also of Ashdod, who said he was so outraged by what he had experienced that he sent a letter to Public Security Minister Avi Dichter over the incident.
“It’s simply humiliating,” he said. “Everyone who was there had the same feeling. About 100 meters from the event hall, at the entrance to Ashdod, we saw about 10 police cars. Every Thursday and Friday night, we see police employ this tactic outside parties. Many cars were pulled over, but what amazed us is that they only stopped Ethiopians. That really upset us.”
“Why only us?” Beyene asked. “I witnessed a car with a non-Ethiopian driver being waved on by police after the officer shone his flashlight into the car and saw the driver. I got out and asked the lead officer why this selection was taking place? Her response was demeaning; she ignored my question. I began filming the incident on my cellphone, and I was threatened with arrest for interfering with police work.”
“I have lived in Israel for 25 years,” he added. “This is the only experience that humiliated me. I saw racism.”
Uri Beru, of Netanya, was breathalyzed by police.
“I say, do the test, no problem,” he said. “But why, after I passed it the first time, was I asked to do it again? Police said the device wasn’t working, so they asked me to blow into a second device. I complied, but then they told me that, too, wasn’t working. They brought in a special device. Then I was asked to walk outside of the car with my eyes closed for 30 meters.
“I was seriously delayed, and this was a stressful experience. What really hurt us is that they stopped Ethiopians only. We are Israelis in every way, and we accept the law. But we cannot be given exceptional treatment,” Beru said.
In response, a spokesman for the Traffic Police said: “These claims are baseless. Since the start of the year, police have pulled over 250,000 drivers and have looked for drunk drivers irrespective of race or gender. Our one aim is to prevent drunk driving.”
The police targeted areas, not ethnic minorities, the spokesman said, adding: “I totally reject the notion that discrimination took place.”
(The Canadian Press) OTTAWA — After 18 months of fruitless effort, Canadian officials in Ethiopia have succeeded in visiting a former Toronto man held under mysterious circumstances in an Addis Ababa jail.
The Foreign Affairs Department said Monday that diplomats in the East African country saw imprisoned Canadian Bashir Makhtal last Friday. “Canadian officials were able to verify Mr. Makhtal’s well-being during our recent consular visit,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Shaun Tinkler said in an email response to questions from The Canadian Press.
“We will continue to press Ethiopian authorities to ensure that we are provided with regular consular access.”
Lorne Waldman, Makhtal’s lawyer, said Foreign Affairs told him of the visit but provided him no details. “We haven’t been given a report about what transpired during the meeting.”
Waldman has long been worried by unofficial reports from Ethiopia that Makhtal has already appeared before a military court where he will face trial.
“The military courts are notorious for their lack of due process,” Waldman said Monday.
Tinkler said the department “has not been advised of any criminal charges filed against Mr. Makhtal by Ethiopian authorities.”
Belay Kidane, first counsellor at the Ethiopian Embassy in Ottawa, had no comment on the case Monday, calling it an “issue of national security for us.”
Makhtal, a Canadian citizen born in Ethiopia, came to Canada as a refugee and later moved to Kenya, where he opened a used-clothing business.
He was on business in Somalia during an invasion by Ethiopian troops in late 2006. Makhtal fled back to Kenya, but was detained along with several others at the Kenya-Somalia border.
There have been suggestions he is of interest to the Ethiopian government due to his grandfather’s involvement in a separatist group in the country’s Ogaden region.
New York-based organization Human Rights Watch says Makhtal was among at least 34 people deported to Somalia from Kenya on Jan. 20, 2007, aboard an African Express Airways flight to Mogadishu.
Makhtal was later shipped to Ethiopia, and Canadian officials have tried repeatedly to see him – efforts that did not pay off until last Friday.
Human Rights Watch maintains that beginning in late December 2006, Kenyan security forces arrested at least 150 people of some 18 different nationalities at border crossing points with Somalia. These individuals were then detained in and around Nairobi for periods that violated Kenyan law, the group says.
While held in Nairobi, intelligence officials, including American authorities, interrogated several foreign nationals, Human Rights Watch said. Subsequent deportations on a series of special flights amounted to a joint removal of individuals of “interest to the Somali, Ethiopian or U.S. governments.”
But for more than a year there have been more questions than answers about Makhtal’s case.
“There’s never been any official acknowledgment that he’s been charged,” Waldman said.
“Bashir’s family has tried repeatedly to get a lawyer to see him, and every effort has been rebuffed.”
Calgary MP Deepak Obhrai, the parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs, expressed Canadian concern over the case during a March visit to Ethiopia.
But access to Makhtal continued to be denied.
Waldman is heartened by the fact Canadian officials have now visited Makhtal in prison, but he criticized Ottawa for being too timid.
“I’m very grateful that as a result of all the hard work of the consular officials, they’ve been able to achieve access for Bashir, but I think it would have happened sooner and we would be far further down the road if there had been a more aggressive intervention.”
Waldman has long argued that Canada should use its generous aid to Ethiopia as a means of ensuring co-operation in Makhtal’s case.
