The instability in Ethiopia caused by the revolution was aggravated by the effects of famine and counter-revolutionary movements, compounded by the invasion of the Ogaden by the Somalis and the mounting pressure of the liberation movement in Eritrea. At the same time the introduction of Soviet and Cuban military assistance, at the invitation of the revolutionary government, militated against the re-establishment of normal relations with Israel. Conversely, the support which their enemies in the north and east were receiving from Arab countries gave the Ethiopians a common interest with Israel. Unofficial contacts were established. The Ethiopian authorities acquired a small supply of arms and, in return, turned a blind eye to a limited emigration of Falashas. Two groups of between fifty and sixty, mostly young people, reached Israel by air during 1977. Others would have followed if the authorities in Addis Ababa had not suddenly clamped down on the traffic following an ill considered reply which Moshe Dayan, then Israeli Minister of Defence, made to a newspaper reporter who inquired whether Israel was supplying arms to Ethiopia. This gaffe has effectively prevented any further aliyah up to the time of writing.

The sense of frustration and disappointment can be imagined. It expressed itself in noisy demonstrations against the Government of Israel in January 1979 by Falashas who had settled happily in the country and demanded that their families should join them. In Ethiopia attempts to promote emigration were thwarted while suspected organisers were thrown into jail and, in one case, summarily executed.

Four of those imprisoned were teachers from the Ambober school who had been trained at Kfar Batya. After spending many months in Gondar jail, where one of them was severely beaten, three were released in June 1980. The revolution brought much