Exclusive: Israel preparing for the 'massive' aliyah from France as riots rock the country

Israel is preparing for a massive influx of Jews from France, i24NEWS learned on Tuesday. Immigration to Israel: diaspora Jews look to make Aliyah amid rising antisemitism "In light of the riots in France, we must prepare a plan to absorb a massive immigration of Jews," Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer told the government. Settlements Minister Orit Strock said in the same meeting that "Jews are currently afraid to walk the streets. We need to prepare for the possibility that there will be attempts to harm them." As a result, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed Sofer, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli to prepare a joint plan. Since the beginning of the year, nearly 4,000 Jews have immigrated from France, 40% more than the same period last year. As the wave of high school student protests in France continues to escalate, hundreds of schools across the country remain fully or partially closed. French Education Minister Édouard Geoffray said that security conditions in some schools are preventing regular studies to take place. The protests, which began in Paris last week, have spread to several other major cities, including Marseille, Nantes, and Montpellier. Thousands of students are protesting the conditions in the educational system, including shortages of teachers, overcrowded classrooms, and poor school-building conditions. However, the protest quickly turned violent. Around 24 schools have been set on fire or looted since the beginning of the demonstrations, and 78 staff members in the education system have been injured, the French Education Ministry reported. The Justice Ministry reported that 735 out of approximately 3,700 schools in France have been affected in some way by the violent protests with the number of arrests also on the rise, about 85% of those arrested are minors. Suggested articles Pro-Palestine October 7 march to go ahead in London as Paris bans demonstrations | Yuval Barnea Riots spread from Paris’s immigrant suburbs across France | i24NEWS Chikli calls Macron ‘not a serious leader,’ criticizes UK over Israel | Benita Levin