The State Department confirmed Friday that the United States has been assisting Ethiopian Jews to emigrate to Israel, but refused to give any details.
Department deputy spokesman Alan Romberg read a carefully worded statement after being asked about the announcement in Israel a day earlier that some 10,000 Ethiopian Jews have been airlifted to Israel recently:
“The United States is deeply concerned about the plight of African refugees, including African Jews, who have been affected by conflict, oppression, famine in the region. The U.S. has taken a direct and special interest in their well-being and we are continuing to work with international organizations, voluntary agencies and the governments of concerned countries to provide food, medical care and resettlement opportunities for refugees. The U.S. has been working quietly and closely with a number of organizations and governments to save the lives of African refugees, including African Jewish refugees.”
Romberg said he would not “get into the detail of what we have done and how we have done it.”
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