Netanyahu Predicts Massive Increase in Western Aliyah

January 17, 2023

by: JNS

Tuesday, 17 January 2023 | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told cabinet ministers that Israel will experience a massive increase in aliyah (immigration) from Western countries, including the US.

Netanyahu said that Israel’s future entry into the US Visa Waiver Program, combined with Israel’s strengthening economy, will attract more Jewish American immigrants.

“Israel’s economy is getting stronger; we will outpace the United States, and we have already outpaced Europe,” Netanyahu said, in comments reported by Israel Hayom.

Netanyahu made this prediction during his weekly cabinet session on Sunday, adding that events could unfold the way they did when he liberalized Israel’s foreign currency market during the 1990s.

“Look at what we did with these reforms,” Netanyahu said in reference to the liberalization of Israel’s foreign currency market. “At the time, you could not move money out of Israel, and people warned that our measures would open up the floodgates. But then the exact opposite happened. Foreign currency actually moved to Israel.”

Netanyahu went on to say that Zionism could not be safeguarded “by fencing it in or by restricting citizens’ movements.”

Israeli Regional Affairs Minister Ron Dermer said that Israel should seize the moment by joining the US Visa Waiver Program.

“There is a window of opportunity that will remain open for several months; we might not be able to do this afterwards, and the US ambassador is eager to help us,” Dermer reportedly told the cabinet.

Posted on January 17, 2023

Source: (Excerpt from an article originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on January 16, 2023. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Nefesh B'Nefesh/jns.org