[Goater]

Well, im no expert on this and it genuinely is very complicated. Basically, the issue surrounds a sub group of Ethiopians, who consider themselves Jewish and do have many Jewish cultural and religious practices, despite their isolation for a great many years. However, they belong to a group that was forceably converted to Christianity (in the 1400s I believe) and still follow many Christian practices. There is some debate in Israel as to whether this group are Jewish.

In addittion, there is great debate amongst the Ethiopian Jewish community in Israel, many of whom actively lobby the government to not allow them to immigrate, for the same reasons. Combined with the fact that a (small, i believe) number have been found to be active Christian proselytisers in Israel, this is a huge issue amongst the elders and members of the Ethiopian community. The Ethiopian community is a relatively small, poor and close nit group who strongly maintain their cultural heritage - the fear of Christian Ethiopians arriving to Israel and influencing their youth is a serious point of contention for them.

I believe that a small number of Ethiopians from this group are allowed to immigrate each month, however the issue is currently hotly debated in Israel amongst the general population as well as Ethiopian immigrant communities.

As I said, it is a very complicated matter and I really only know the basics.