On May 1991 Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir approves Operation Solomon and 14,324 Ethiopian Jews are airlifted to Israel in thirty-six hours.
After the sudden halt of Operation Moses the political map of Ethiopia changed greatly. The Sudanese ruler, Jafar al-Numeri, who had allowed the passage of Jews through his country on the way to Israel was removed from office. This placed an enormous pressure among Ethiopian Jews, since half of them remained in Ethiopia and a large part in Israel and Sudan.
Families found themselves separated once again, and those who had already arrived in Israel felt an enormous anxiety over those who remained behind. Ethiopia was still in the midst of a civil war and if the Government toppled this would pose serious threats to the security of Ethiopian Jewish communities.
Large demonstrations took place advocating for the Israeli government to bring the rest of the Ethiopian community to Israel and in 1989 relations with the Ethiopian government resumed and Aliyah activities continued. EL AL Hercules Jumbo jets were reconfigured, the seats ripped out to make room for more bodies and in the course of thirty six hours over 14,000 Jews were airlifted to Israel. This rescue operation is considered to be one of the most awe inspiring and exciting events in the history of the State of Israel and world Jewry.
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