PM Sharon: Aliyah My Top Priority

From Israel National News
11:39 Jan 12, '04 / 18 Tevet 5764


Answering a question about Russian immigration to Israel at a Sunday press conference, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared Aliyah (Jewish immigration to Israel) his top priority. "The main target of the government I lead," Sharon told reporters, "is Jewish immigration to Israel. And we believe that the answer to our problems here is first of all immigration. And we put a target that within 12-15 years, we will have to absorb here another million Jews, according to the Law of Return. We believe that the potential immigration from what used to be the Soviet Union is still about one million, according to the Law of Return. But we are making efforts everywhere, in the United States, in Latin America, in Europe - mostly when we see the growing spread of anti-Semitism. We already managed to absorb 1.2 million within 12 years or 13 years in the past, and with all the problems, we don't have any people without roofs over their heads. It was a tremendous effort, but we have done it.

"We see the situation. Of course, it depends upon many things, including a change in the economic situation. In Russia Jews are making efforts to send more children over here to study here, and usually when they come to study here, later they come and serve in the military and become part of sharing the lives of Israeli citizens here."