How Indian Christian tribes were turned into so-called indigenous populations on Palestinian land
The occupation employs the migration of the Bnei Menashe tribe as a tool of demographic engineering and as manpower for settlements and the army, despite the absence of genetic evidence supporting their historical origins. This process manufactures an imported “numerical legitimacy” by constructing a new religious identity for people fleeing poverty, who then face racism and exploitation.
In a now-familiar scene at Ben Gurion Airport, new groups of migrants from the Indian states of Manipur and Mizoram landed on Friday. Their unmistakably Asian features are visible, yet they are wearing traditional kippahs and holding tightly to Torah texts.
The arrival of the latest group, consisting of 240 members of the Bnei Menashe tribe, is not the result of a spiritual calling, but rather a complex new chapter in one of the most controversial migration narratives in modern Israeli history. This narrative blends ancient religious myths with questionable anthropological research to construct a fragile justification for land appropriation.
In the official Israeli narrative, the Bnei Menashe are said to descend from one of the “lost tribes” of Israel. This claim is based mainly on oral traditions and local stories that emerged in northeastern India in the last century, later adopted by religious and political institutions in Israel.
In the mid-20th century, a new identity narrative emerged within these communities, claiming descent from the tribe of Manasseh. However, this idea lacks any conclusive archaeological or genetic evidence and is instead rooted in a blend of local traditions and imported religious texts.
Over time, this belief became a core element of group identity, encouraged by international Jewish organizations specializing in the search for lost tribes.
Although Israeli religious authorities recognized in 2005 the possibility of considering the Bnei Menashe part of the Jewish people, this recognition remains conditional. They are required to undergo formal conversion rituals upon arrival, meaning their belonging is not acknowledged as a historical or biological fact, but as an acquired religious identity.
Deep journalistic investigations and genetic studies conducted at reputable institutions such as the Technion reinforce these doubts, showing no biological link between these tribes and Middle Eastern populations. These studies indicate that their “Jewish identity” emerged only after their conversion to Protestant Christianity in the 19th century.
In this context, the organization Shavei Israel plays a central role in managing these migrations. Its function goes beyond religious support to include identifying target groups, reshaping their religious practices, teaching Hebrew, and organizing their relocation and settlement.
Academics and historians, including British scholar Tudor Parfitt, describe this phenomenon as a classic case of identity construction, where marginalized communities in India find both spiritual and economic refuge in adopting a Jewish narrative, while Israel sees them as a strategic human resource.
Importing people
Israeli insistence, particularly from right-wing factions, on bringing thousands of individuals whose Jewish status is not scientifically recognized can be explained through three strategic dimensions of the demographic conflict.
The first is an attempt to balance demographic ratios in response to Palestinian population growth, with the Bnei Menashe becoming a numerical asset due to their high birth rates.
The second is political use in settlement expansion, as most migrants are placed in West Bank settlements and friction zones, serving as a human presence that reinforces Israeli control.
The third is military reinforcement, with young members quickly integrated into combat units, granting them a form of “blood legitimacy” within Israeli society.
Behind official celebration, these migrants face harsh social realities in places such as Kiryat Arba and Afula, where they encounter discrimination and suspicion due to their Asian appearance.
They are often confined to low-paid manual labor, forming a new working class used within demographic engineering strategies.
Ultimately, their arrival represents a form of human importation: individuals seeking escape from poverty are transformed into demographic and military resources, while historical and scientific realities are obscured by ideology and power calculations.
