An Israeli court on Monday ordered two brothers of a fallen Border Police soldier to leave the country within weeks on the account that they don't qualify for an Israeli citizenship.
The Population and Immigration Authority ruled that the two brothers of First Sergeant Solomon Gavriya – who died in a terror attack in 2017 – are required to leave Israel by March.
In September 2017, an armed terrorist attempted to infiltrate the Israeli settlement of Har Adar. Once inside, the terrorist opened fire. Solomon, who was stationed in the area, attempted to engage the suspect and was shot dead.
Solomon was present in another terror attack during his service, where he was stabbed by a Palestinian terrorist, but fought back. After recovering, he insisted on returning to active duty.
A year following his passing, Solomon was awarded a posthumous citation for his bravery when confronting the terrorist, which was accepted by his father and brothers.
Yohannes and Deslaigan Meheret-Molt arrived in Israel shortly after their step-brother was killed in order to support their father, Mihit, and his second wife Yeshimevet, who was qualified to stay in Israel as part of the Law of Return.
In 2018, Mihit turned to then-Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, and asked for permission for the brothers to remain in Israel, which Deri approved, saying that "the mourning father's request broke my heart and moved me deeply."
Both of the brothers have learned Hebrew and are currently employed. One brother lives with his father in Be'er Yakov, while the second lives in Rosh Ha'ayin with his Israeli wife, Aska Mangistu - the couple's daughter was born in January.
The brothers tried to complete their conversion to Judaism, but due to their legal status, the Conversion Authority’s committee declined the request.
The brothers then turned to attorney Nicole Maor, head of the Legal Aid Center for immigrants in The Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, who appealed for the pair to be granted citizenship.
The request was submitted to the humanitarian committee, but when no response was provided, Maor appealed the case to court. A few days later, they received a response, saying that they were also required to leave Israel within a month.
"When we received the response from the attorney saying we needed to return to Ethiopia, we were stunned, it was as if the world ended," Yohannes said.
"We didn't expect this and we were looking forward to begin our conversion process. We’re saddened, this means leaving our father behind." he added.
"We were shocked," said Maor. "It's a shame that the authorities are ignoring the decision of former interior minister. After the Population and Immigration Authority blocked the conversion, it is now demanding the brothers to leave the country after five years of residency in Israel, instead of regulating their status,” she added.
“The decision comes while one of the brothers is already a father to a baby who’s an Israeli citizen, while the other is an orphan with his only family living in Israel."
According to the Population and Immigration Authority, “the two brothers were born to a father who later became an Israeli citizen, whose paternity of the brothers was never proven. The two’s mothers are both from Ethiopia and were never married to the father. In 1999, the father arrived in Israel with his current family, while the two brothers remained in Ethiopia with their mothers."
"The brothers entered Israel with a tourist visa in 2017, to attend the funeral of their half-brother and their stay was extended several times by the Interior Ministry,” the statement added.
“The brothers also approached Conversion Authority, which rejected their request to convert. Their current request was discussed in an inter-ministerial humanitarian committee, the members of which ruled that the two must return to Ethiopia."