After the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, all limitations on Jewish immigration were lifted, which triggered a large influx of migrants and displaced persons after WWII. The State of Israel also passed the Law of Return, under which any Jewish person has the right to immigrate to Israel.
Today: In total, the State of Israel has absorbed 3.1 immigrants since its creation, 1 million of them between 1990 and 1999. The State of Israel has in fact strongly encouraged Jewish immigration with the objective of ensuring that the majority of Israel’s population remains Jewish, despite Arab Israelis’ high birthrate. Today, however, large-scale immigration is almost non-existent, with many residents leaving the country.
The newcomers came from Europe, counties in the Near East, and the Maghreb. Jews in Arab countries, such as Iraq, faced growing public hostility because of the conflict in Palestine and later as a result of Israel’s creation at Palestinian Arabs’ expense. Fearing for their security, most Arab Jews eventually chose to emigrate, in response to hostile Arab governments and encouragement by Israeli representatives and agents who were eager to bring them to Israel. This combination of factors led to the nearly total disappearance of ancient Jewish communities in the Near East and Maghreb. Immigration leapt again in 1989-90, with the fall of the Soviet Union and the opening of borders in Eastern Europe.
~ Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, "Jewish Immigration to Historical Palestine," CJPME Factsheet 181, November, 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment