Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Israel brought in around 240 Indians from the states of Manipur and Mizoram this week as part of its ongoing efforts to bring thousands of new colonizers for settlement in northern occupied Palestine.
Israeli Immigration and Absorption Minister Ofir Sofer called the arrival a “historic moment". The new colonizers belong to the Bnei Menashe community, a group Israel recognizes as linked to ancient Jewish heritage.
The Bnei Menashe community believe that they descend from ancient Israelites although historical and genetic evidence for this claim does not exist.
Over time, members of the group have settled in different areas across Palestine, including Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and previously in the Gaza Strip.
The community numbers around 10,000 people, most of whom still live in the northeastern Indian states of Manipur and Mizoram. Over the past three decades, nearly half of them have moved to Israel. Many members believe they are descendants of the biblical Tribe of Manasseh, which, according to tradition, was exiled more than 2,800 years ago.
The Bnei Menashe belong to the Kuki ethnic group in India and speak languages from the Tibeto-Burman family, with roots generally linked to East Asia. Most Kuki communities converted to Christianity in the early 20th century under missionary influence. However, in the 1970s, Israeli researchers spotted alleged similarities between some Kuki traditions and Jewish practices. Since then, oral histories, songs, and rituals within the community have reinforced the belief in an ancient Israelite origin.
Israel’s Ministry of Immigration said the settlers will settle in the north of the occupied land and will begin formal conversion procedures to Judaism. The process is required for eligibility under Israel’s "Law of Return", which grants citizenship only to those recognized as Jewish.
The group arrived at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv and received an official welcome. Israeli media reported that this wave marks the start of a broader government plan to bring more members of the Bnei Menashe community from India in the coming years.
According to The Jerusalem Post, the arrivals came under “Operation Wings of Dawn,” a joint initiative between the Ministry of Immigration and the Jewish Agency for Israel. The operation aims to complete the relocation of the remaining members of the community still living in northeastern India.
Officials expect around 600 colonizers to arrive in three waves in the coming weeks. Most of the new settlers are young families who will initially live in absorption centers in northern Israel, including Nof HaGalil, where some will reunite with relatives who arrived earlier.
Israel’s broader plan targets the relocation of about 6,000 members of the Bnei Menashe community by 2030. Authorities say around 1,200 more are expected to arrive by the end of 2026.
The initiative follows a government decision led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in November.
Jewish Agency CEO Doron Almog also described the move as part of the ongoing realization of the Zionist vision.
The latest arrivals come as Israel faces a rise in the numbers of Israelis leaving the occupied land. Official data shows tens of thousands of Israelis left in 2024 and 2025, driven by the ongoing genocide in Gaza and its wider impact.
Since October 2023, Israel’s genocide in Gaza has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and injured over 172,000, while also destroying much of the territory’s infrastructure. Israel has historically brought millions of colonizers from around the world to settle in the region since its establishment in 1948.
