The Ethiopian Jewish community has decried Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for not letting them settle in the country despite their long-time wish to emigrate from Africa. 

Andualem Wugu, manager of the Ethiopian Jewish community in Addis Ababa, told Anadolu Agency that their members had been persistently praying for God's help to immigrate to Israel for over two decades, while "racist" Netanyahu has turned a deaf ear to their plea, prompting the 3,500-strong community to try to "fight for justice".

He expressed certainty that the way the Jewish authorities put on hold their once promised immigration to Israel is due to a deliberate policy of exclusion of Ethiopian Jews.

Over the past three decades, Israeli governments permitted the African-based community's resettlement on Israeli soil, given that there is consent to this end from their Ethiopian counterparts. Israeli security services initially led the operations that saw roughly 135,000 Ethiopian Jews be airlifted from Northern Ethiopia and Sudanese refugee camps, but a nearly 8,000-strong number of Addis Ababa and Gander Jews are still awaiting the permission to move.