Hundreds of Ethiopian Immigrants Arrive in Israel

A planeload of Ethiopian immigrants from Gondar arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel as part of what has been dubbed Operation Rock of Israel. The more than 300 new immigrants, accompanied by Absorption and Immigration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata, who immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia in the 1984 Operation Moses, landed in Israel on Thursday morning. The immigrants, who have family already living in Israel, were met by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and Jewish Agency Chairman Isaac Herzog. A second plane is set to arrive on Friday. A total of some 2,000 new immigrants are scheduled to arrive by the end of January. “I do not remember, for many years, when I have been moved so much at the sight of such pure Zionism that expresses all of its significance,” Netanyahu said, admitting that he had tears in his eyes as the new immigrants exited the plane. They will remain in isolation for two weeks in compliance with Israel’s restrictions to fight the coronavirus before being moved to immigrant absorption centers.