The Minister for Immigration and Absorption, Yakov Edri, and the Director of the ministry, Erez Chalfon, will convene an emergency meeting Thursday in an effort to stave off a Finance Ministry plan to cut their ministry's budget for 2008. They also intend to form a multi-partisan lobby to pressure the government on the subject.
Minister Edri warned: "I will vote against the budget; the Finance Ministry is bringing a catastrophe upon Israel," he said.
Dozens of Knesset Members from a variety of political parties as well as dozens of representatives of leading aliyah organizations are joining the ministry's struggle against what is termed "a fatal cut" in its budget.