The government of Israel and the Jewish Agency are launching a special operation to encourage immigration of Jews from Argentina, given the recent political turmoil in that country. Under the plan, new immigrants from Argentina would be awarded a special package of absorption benefits in a one-year directive, promulgated for the year 2002. In the context of the operation, the government will award each family approximately $20,000 in additional assistance for the acquisition of an apartment. The Jewish Agency will award an initial absorption allocation of $2,500 per family. On Wednesday, 25 Argentinians will arrive on a pilot trip to examine absorption possibilities in Israel. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, some 60,000 immigrants have arrived from Argentina, 1,500 in the year 2001 alone.