Israel rejects some aliyah applications

JERUSALEM, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- The Israeli Interior Ministry has begun rejecting immigration petitions from Ethiopians, suggesting it may cap the number of immigrants from Ethiopia.

Israel has brought 300 Ethiopian immigrants to Israel each month since 2004, from a pool of petitioners for aliyah -- the term given to immigration to Israel. February was the first month in that time that Israel has sent a substantial number of denials, the Jewish Telegraph Agency reported.

In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, families whose applications were denied were angry. In some cases they prevented couriers from delivering rejection notices to their homes, the news agency said.

Some of the families have been waiting for years to move to Israel.

"They submitted their requests, the requests were checked in Israel and Ethiopia, some were declined and some were approved," said Yariv Ovadia, deputy spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry. "This is the nature of requesting petitions."