“Human Importation Under a Religious Cover”… Widespread reaction to the arrival of immigrants from India to Israel | news

Israeli media documented scenes of dozens of immigrants from an Indian tribe coming to Israel through Ben Gurion Airport, on a trip called “Wings of Dawn.”

The Israeli Ministry of Immigration and Absorption said, in a post on its page on the “X” platform, that 240 immigrants from the “Bnei Menashe” tribe in northeastern India arrived in Israel, on a trip it described as a “special and exciting landing.”

The Hebrew Walla website reported that the trip comes as part of a joint effort between the Ministry of Immigration and the Jewish Agency, noting that the new immigrants will reside in the city of Nof Hagalil in northern Israel.

Scenes of the arrival of immigrants from the “Bnei Menashe” tribe to Israel sparked a widespread wave of anger on social media platforms, amid varying reactions between sharp criticism of the Israeli immigration project and skepticism about its demographic and political dimensions.

Tweeters said that what is happening represents “human importation with a religious cover,” considering that the occupation seeks, through these steps, to implement a plan aimed at strengthening the demographic balance and expanding settlement by bringing thousands of immigrants from India.

They added that 240 immigrants arrived in the first batch as part of a broader plan aimed at bringing in thousands more in the coming years.

Others pointed out that the trip came within the framework of an Israeli government program, during which the Minister of Immigration and Absorption, Ofir Sofer, received new immigrants, as part of efforts aimed – according to their estimates – to import about 4,600 people from this tribe by 2030.

One activist wrote, “The entity is bringing in 240 immigrants from India under the name of Bene Menashe Jews to settle them in the occupied Palestinian territories,” adding that this “means replacing the original population with new settlers.”

Another tweeted, saying: “Imagine that this settler will displace the Palestinian who owns the land.”

On the other hand, bloggers pointed out that the Israeli plan provides for bringing about 1,200 immigrants annually from this tribe, reaching about 6,000 by 2030, as part of a policy aimed at expanding settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Others also expressed skepticism about the religious background of the immigrants, saying that they were “not historically Jewish,” but rather converted to Judaism about a century ago, based on accounts adopted by missionaries, indicating the possibility of their belonging to one of the lost tribes.

Commentators believed that these steps reflect, as they described, a policy based on bringing in immigrants to establish the settlement presence in various areas, including border areas, the Gaza Strip, and the Negev Desert, with their subsequent employment in military service.

The Israeli Ministry of Immigration and Absorption announced the arrival of 240 immigrants from the “Bnei Menashe” sect, coming from the states of Mizoram and Manipur in northeastern India, as part of a broader program aimed at transporting thousands of members of this community in the coming years.