Jerusalem, Middle East - The Israeli Foreign Ministry has ordered an end to conversion of a sect of Indian citizens to Judaism, saying it strained ties between the two countries.
Amos Nadai, an official with the Foreign Ministry, told a Knesset committee that the department had received complaints from India regarding the conversion of a group of about 7,000 Indians known as Bnei Menashe, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Bnei Menashe are thought to be one of the 10 lost tribes of Israel and an effort to teach them and convert them to Judaism has been under way since the early 1990s.
It is carried out by a task force in the Israeli prime minister's office.
Once converted, they can move to Israel.
Nadai said India's opinion on the conversion has changed since the new government took over last year.
Nadai said if the Israeli government didn't put a stop to the conversions, it was possible that economic and political ties could be strained.