Cabinet Approves Two Important Decisions on Immigrant Absorption
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

The Cabinet, today (Sunday, 8 July 2012), approved two important decisions
regarding immigrant absorption.

According to the first decision, the Government will increase – and provide
budgets for – projects to encourage immigrant absorption in the field of
education, at an overall cost of NIS 40 million. The Government is thereby
ensuring the continuation of its joint projects with the Jewish Agency
which, due to budgetary constraints, faced uncertain futures. In this
framework, the Government will support the Immigrant Absorption Ministry
Student Authority
http://www.moia.gov.il/Moia_en/AboutOffice/MinistryDepartments.htm
which provides scholarships to new immigrants and is a very significant tool
in encouraging young Jews to immigrate to Israel. In recent years, the
Authority has assisted approximately 6,500 students per annum, one third of
which are from Ethiopia, and it is a significant factor in the decision of
young people who are eligible to immigrate to Israel under the Law of
Return. According to the decision, budgeting for the project will be carried
out immediately so as not to harm registration and the start of the academic
year for immigrant students. Also, the Government will support approximately
90 Hebrew language schools, and four youth villages that are operated by the
Education Ministry and which mainly house youth-at-risk.

According to the second decision, the Government will expedite the
immigration to Israel of the Falash Mura, in wake of last year's historic
decision to bring all Falash Mura to Israel
http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Archive/Press+Releases/2010/11/spokefalashmura141110.htm
According to the plan, immigrant quotas will be increased so as to bring all
2,200 Falash Mura by the end of March 2014. Efforts will be made to bring
most of the immigrants close to the start of the academic year so that the
children may begin classes together with Israeli pupils. Also, in order to
assist the immigrants' absorption, an absorption center will be opened at
Ibim
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibim
this September, at a cost of approximately NIS 17 million. Prime Minister's
Office Director-General Harel Locker, who will monitor the arrival of the
immigrants, noted that in order to implement the decision, all available
places in absorption centers in Israel will be filled with immigrants. "We
must act to bring all of the Falash Mura to Israel and close the immigration
camp in Gondar as soon as possible," he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "Immigration to Israel from anywhere
in the world is a central goal of the Government."