Why is Benjamin Netanyahu taking this Indian tribe to Israel? 250 people have been airlifted so far

New Delhi: Israel has started a big mission in India, about 4000 kilometers away from Iran. Under this operation named ‘Operation Wings of Dawn’, about 5000 people of Bnai Menashe community from the hills of North-East India are being taken from Manipur to Tel Aviv.

For many people this means moving from one violent area to another. But for the Bnei Menashe community it is the end of a centuries-long journey to return to the land of their ancestors. These people consider themselves descendants of one of the biblical ‘lost tribes’ of Israel.

Who are the Bnei Menashe?  

According to media reports, Bnai Menashe is actually a community of Kuki, Chin and Mizo ethnic groups of Mizoram and Manipur. They believe that they are descendants of the Manasseh tribe of Israel that was exiled 2700 years ago. They traditionally practice Judaism and are returning to their ancestral land Israel with the help of the ‘Shavei Israel’ organization.

According to the Bible, ancient Israel was divided into 12 tribes. The Bnei Menashe claim to be descendants of Manasseh, son of Joseph. He was exiled after the Assyrian attack in 722 BC. About 10,000 people reached North-East of India via Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet and China and settled in Manipur-Mizoram.

“Banei means ‘child’ and Manasseh means ‘grandson’,” says Asaf Renthalei, a sociology researcher at IIT-Delhi. India has always been safe for the Jewish community. Here he never had to face religious persecution. In Manipur they are considered part of the Kuki community. Most Kukis converted to Christianity in the 20th century, but Bnei Menashe remained connected to Jewish traditions.

First batch leaves, now 1200 people will go every year  

The Israeli government sent the first batch of 250 people via Delhi on Thursday (23 April 2026). Last year, the Netanyahu government had announced financial assistance to resettle about 4600 people from India in Israel. About 5000 people have settled there in the last 20 years. Israeli Immigration Minister Ofir Sofer said, “This is the beginning of the campaign. Every year 1,200 people will be resettled in Israel.”

Why do these Indians want to go to Israel? 

Benjamin Haokip of Manipur says that religious facilities are not available in the hills. He told ‘The New York Times’, "Here we are not able to follow all the customs. Some prayers require a ‘minyan’, i.e. 10 Jewish adults, which is difficult in the hills. We want to go to Israel for religion." Lack of food and cultural resources is also a big reason. Many people have started learning Hebrew on Duolingo.

The Bnei Menashe people who arrived before 2005 settled in the settlements of Hebron and Gaza. The 250 people who arrived on Thursday will settle in northern Israel. Recently Hezbollah had fired missiles on this area. Now there is a ceasefire. According to ‘The Times of Israel’, they will have to change their religion to become Israeli citizens. Prime Minister Netanyahu says that their settlement will strengthen the northern and Galilee areas.