About 70,000 Israelis emigrated during the past four years and the yordim rate is coming perilously close to matching the rate of aliya, according to figures prepared by Ephraim Dovrat, advisor to the Finance Minister, which were released here last night. The figures were appended to the Treasury’s proposed IL 84.2 billion austerity budget for fiscal 1976-77 which was presented to the Cabinet yesterday. (See P. 1 for main story.)
The figures showed that in 1972, 12,000 Israelis left the country for good and in 1973, the year of the Yom Kippur War, 15,000 departed. Emigration reached a peak of 24,000 last year when most reserve soldiers were demobilized. This year it was down somewhat to 19,000.
According to Dovrat, the yordim rate will decline to 16,000 in 1976 but since next year’s aliya is estimated at only 24,000. Israel will have a net gain of only 8000 immigrants. Some economists who have examined the proposed budget are disputing Dovrat’s estimates for next year. They say the increased unemployment will result in a larger number of yordim and fewer olim.
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