Russia and Ukraine provided Israel with most of its settlers who flocked to the occupied Palestinian territories in 2017 a study found out.
Russia emerged as Israel’s largest provider of settlers with 7224 Jewish newcomers followed by 7182 settlers from Ukraine according to an updated report of immigration to Israel or aliyah by a partnering organization of the Ministry for Immigrant Absorption.
Of the 28598 settlers last year 50.4 percent were from Russia or Ukraine according to the chart. France was Israel’s third largest source of settlers with 3424 newcomers followed by the United States Ethiopia and Belarus with 2996 1312 and 973 settlers respectively.
The increase in immigration from Ukraine and Russia came amid a financial crisis in both countries which in 2014 entered a territorial dispute.
Last year was also the first time that Israel saw the arrival from Russia and Ukraine of settlers who had already begun their conversion to Judaism in their countries of origin.
Over recent years thousands of Zionist Israelis and Jewish settlers have settled in the occupied Palestinian territories after financial facilities were made by the Israeli government and its allies.
