Israel is preparing a plan to bring thousands of Jewish-identifying Bnei Menashe from northeast India and resettle them across the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Jewish Agency for Israel, an organization that promotes Zionism globally, confirmed that the Israeli cabinet recently approved a proposal to absorb about 5,800 members of the Bnei Menashe community by 2030. The plan was submitted by Immigration and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer.
"This historic decision will bring approximately 5,800 members of the community to Israel by 2030, including 1,200 already approved in 2026," the agency announced.
A large delegation of rabbis is expected to depart for India in the coming days. “It will be the biggest delegation sent to date and the first in more than a decade. The delegation will interview the first half of the community, about 3,000 Bnei Menashe who have first-degree relatives in Israel,” the announcement said.
The plan is expected to require a special budget of 90 million shekels ($27 million) to cover flight costs, conversion classes, housing, Hebrew instruction, and other benefits for the incoming immigrants.
The group, an ethnic community from the northeastern Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur, is expected to move to the Galilee region of the northern part of the occupied territories.
The northern occupied region has been heavily affected by Israeli aggression against Lebanon, with tens of thousands of settlers leaving the area in recent years.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the decision "important and Zionist," saying it would strengthen north with the Lebanese border.
The “Jewishness” of the Bnei Menashe has long been a subject of intense controversy.
Around 2,500 community members already live in Israeli-occupied territories. Media reports say most of the youngsters in the community serve in combat units of the Israeli military.
The development comes while Israel’s military is considering a plan to recruit young Jews from abroad as it grapples with a severe shortage of soldiers following its genocidal war on Gaza and aggression against Lebanon.
Israel’s Army Radio earlier said that the proposal would target major Jewish communities overseas, particularly in the United States and France, with the aim of enlisting around 700 recruits annually.
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