Chairman Eitan Cabel of the Knesset Economics Committee said on Monday that the committee would ask the Chief Rabbinate to issue an explicit and unequivocal ruling on the Jewishness of Ethiopian immigrants. He added that the committee would also appeal to the ministries of economy, labor and welfare, which have the authority to work with factories to prevent discrimination against Ethiopians, saying that the state should suspend budgets and impose sanctions in such cases.
Cabel spoke at the end of a committee hearing that was called following the case in which the Barkan Winery factory in Kibbutz Hulda removed Ethiopian-Israelis from bottling roles because the Badatz of the Eda Haredit kosher certification does not accept their Jewishness. While the criticism was not reserved for Barkan, Cabel said, "Until Barkan Vineyards employ Ethiopians everywhere and return the workers to their jobs, I certainly am not buying from them and I would expect all of Israel to do so in solidarity against this racism."