The Israeli government authorized a five-year plan for improving the absorption of Ethiopian immigrants.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s Cabinet approved an interministerial plan Sunday earmarking some $250 million for the integration of marginalized Ethiopian immigrants by 2013.
“The plan focuses on strengthening the young population (16-35) and in dealing with neighborhoods with large Ethiopian populations,” the Cabinet said in a statement, adding that it will help in areas such as housing, education and employment.
The Ethiopian immigrant community in Israel numbers around 110,000, with about a third of its members born in the Jewish state.
Sixty-eight percent of the community lives below the poverty line, compared to 21 percent among immigrants from the former Soviet Union.
High-profile reports of institutional discrimination against Ethiopian immigrants last year spurred calls for the community to receive greater government backing.
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