File photo: A man walks near a sign in Falasha, a Jewish village on the outskirts of Ethiopia's city of Gondar
The Israeli government has consented to take in some 1,000 Falasha Jews from Ethiopia, according to a Monday statement issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.
"As part of the decision, [Falasha] parents will be able to bring with them their spouses and unmarried children [from Ethiopia]," the statement read.
Israel’s Interior Ministry, it added, would provide all incoming Falashas with "all the rights typically granted to Ethiopian immigrants”.
According to the PM’s office, the move is based on a 2006 government decision calling for the “reunification” of Falasha families from Addis Ababa and the city of Gondar, where most of Ethiopia’s Falasha community is concentrated.
In 2003, Tel Aviv decided to allow Falashas -- whom Israel deems to be authentically Jewish -- to immigrate to the self-proclaimed Jewish state, where they now number roughly 130,000.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip plans to launch the first marine ambulance to provide emergency medical assistance to protesters during anti-occupation demonstrations in the blockaded territory.The move “demonstrates the dedication of medical personnel and their ability to take all measures to secure the lives of peaceful civilians,” ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said in a statement on Monday.Palestinians have been staging rallies and naval protests against a 12-year long Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip.Israeli navy arrests two fishermen off Gaza coastSince the demonstrations began on March 30, more than 190 Palestinians have been martyred -- and thousands more injured -- by Israeli troops deployed along the other side of the buffer zone.Protesters demand the “right of return” to their homes and villages in historical Palestine, from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.They also demand an end to Israel’s 12-year-long blockade of Gaza, which has gutted the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its roughly two million inhabitants of many basic commodities.Palestinians protest high unemployment in GazaGazans bury three martyrs killed by Israel
Gaza to launch 1st marine ambulance
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has informed his cabinet that the army is preparing for a possible military campaign against the blockaded Gaza Strip in case the situation was not improved, according to Israeli media.“If the reality of civil distress in Gaza is diminished, that is desirable, but that is not certain to happen, and so we are preparing militarily — that is not an empty statement,” Netanyahu said.Egypt and the UN have been doing efforts to carry out major projects in Gaza, especially in the sectors of water, electricity and sanitation to avert a possible humanitarian crisis.Israel arrests sister of West Bank shooterSeveral Palestinian, Israeli and international humanitarian reports have warned of deterioration in humanitarian conditions in the strip, which has been reeling under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007.In 2014, Israel waged a devastating 51-day military onslaught on the Gaza Strip, in which more than 2,300 Palestinians were martyred and tens of thousands injured.Since March, more than 190 Palestinians have been martyred -- and thousands more injured -- by Israeli army fire during anti-occupation protests near border of the Gaza Strip.Israel frees Palestinian after 30 years behind bars
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Israeli forces on Monday detained the sister of a suspected Palestinian shooter, who shot dead two Israelis in the occupied West Bank a day earlier, according to local residents.Israeli soldiers raided al-Maajen district in Nablus and arrested Fayrouz Naalwa, a lecturer, from her home, the residents said.The raid came one day after two Israelis were killed and another was injured in a shooting attack in an industrial area near the settlement of Barkan in the central West Bank.The shooter had fled the scene unscathed with Israeli media saying the attacker was a former Palestinian worker from the West Bank city of Tulkarem.Three Palestinians martyred along Gaza-Israel buffer zoneIsraeli army, Palestine youth clash in occupied W. BankMeanwhile, Israeli forces rounded up 19 Palestinians in overnight raids across the West Bank.The individuals were arrested for “suspected involvement in popular terrorist activities”, the army said in a statement, without elaborating on the nature of these activities.The Israeli army frequently carries out wide-ranging arrest campaigns across the occupied West Bank on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians.According to Palestinian figures, some 6,500 Palestinians continue to languish in Israeli detention facilities, including scores of women and hundreds of minors.Palestinians protest high unemployment in GazaGazans bury three martyrs killed by Israel
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Israeli forces on Sunday released the Palestinian Mahmud Jabarin, 54, after 30 years of detention.The Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a press release that the Israeli authorities released Jabarin from the northern Hadarim prison after the end of his sentence.Jabarin was arrested in October 1988 and sentenced to 30 years in prison for taking part in a military operation that led to the death of an Israeli soldier.Palestinian academic calls for boycott of IsraelNetherlands: Israeli supporter attacks protestor
Israel frees Palestinian after 30 years behind bars