Israel’s government agreed to expedite the arrival of the final Ethiopian immigrants waiting to come to Israel.

Under the plan approved July 8 by the Cabinet, some 2,200 Falash Mura — Ethiopians whose ancestors converted from Judaism to Christianity — will be brought to Israel by March 2014.

The Ethiopians are waiting in a refugee camp in Gondar province; some have been waiting for 10 years.

The Israeli government in October 2010 reportedly had agreed to bring eligible Falash Mura to Israel by March 2014, but had cut the number it was bringing per month due to lack of space in absorption centers.

A new absorption center will be opened in September at Ibim, a student village near Sderot, at a cost of more than $4 million. The funding will come in part from the Jewish Agency for Israel. — jta