The Chief Rabbinate Council made an historic decision to adopt the ruling of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, and recognize the Jewishness of the Beta Israel community of Ethiopian Jews, according to Channel 11 News.
Rabbinical sources said this decision canceled an old ruling from the 1980s that questioned the Jewishness of Ethiopian Jews and required various actions to confirm their Judaism.The council made the decision two and a half months ago, meeting at the rabbi's home on the sixth anniversary of his passing away. For reasons that are unclear, the decision has been kept under wraps until now, and it may be that the reason was fear of opposition from some haredi-religious circles.