Ethiopian-Israelis Protest Police Profiling and PM Netanyahu Apologises: A video and An Article

Source:  http://rt.com/news/255381-israel-president-ethiopian-jews/

‘We made a mistake’: Israeli president to Ethiopians after thousands-strong protest

Published time: May 04, 2015 11:02

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Protesters, mainly whom are Israeli Jews of Ethiopian origin, shout slogans during a demonstration against what they say is police racism and brutality, after the emergence last week of a video clip that showed policemen shoving and punching a black soldier during a protest in Tel Aviv May 3, 2015. (Reuters/Baz Ratner)

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Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin has said the country’s government “made a mistake” ignoring the issues of the Ethiopian population. The protesters “exposed an open, bleeding wound in the heart of Israeli society,” the president added.

“It is a wound of a community crying out over its feeling of discrimination and racism that are falling on deaf ears. We must face this open wound straight on,” Rivlin said, as quoted by AFP.

Read morePolice fire tear gas during demo against racism, police brutality in Tel Aviv (VIDEO)

“We made a mistake. We didn’t see and we didn’t listen well enough,” the president concluded.

It comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to meet with Ethiopian community representatives to listen to their woes.

“There is room to examine all claims, but no place for violence or lawbreakers,” Netanyahu said on Sunday.

His statement came hours after thousands of protesters clashed with security forces in central Tel Aviv during the anti-racism and anti-police brutality demonstration.

Police used stun grenades, tear gas, rubber bullets, and arrested 43 demonstrators.

Over 60 people were wounded in the violence.

The protesters blocked major arteries and junctions, and later, in downtown Tel Aviv, threw stones at security forces and overturned a police car.

The protests were triggered by a video that showed an Ethiopian Israeli soldier being beaten by two police officers, without apparent provocation from his side.

The Sunday demonstration was the second in a week, with the protest on Thursday also turning violent: 13 protesters and three policemen were injured in those clashes, according to the Times of Israel.

Around 130,000 Jews of Ethiopian descent are Israeli residents, having arrived in two waves during the 1980s and 1990s.

Le Monde.fr:Les Israéliens d'origine éthiopienne manifestent contre les violences policières En savoir plus sur http://www.lemonde.fr/proche-orient/article/2015/05/03/a-tel-aviv-la-communaute-ethiopienne-manifeste-contre-la-violence-policiere

Le Monde.fr

9 hrs · 

La diffusion d'une vidéo montrant deux policiers en train de frapper un soldat d'origine éthiopienne a suscité la colère de cette communauté.

A Tel-Aviv, la communauté éthiopienne manifeste contre la violence policière

LEMONDE.FR

RT: RAW: Anti-police brutality protesters clash with cops in Tel Aviv

Haaretz: WATCH: The beating that sparked violent protest by Ethiopian Israelis - Israel

WATCH: The beating that sparked violent protest by Ethiopian Israelis - Israel

Demas Fekadeh - a uniformed IDF soldier - was beaten by two Israeli policemen. The whole incident was caught on security camera.

HAARETZ.COM

975mag: Ethiopian-Israelis' protest against police violence is met with police violence

Source: http://972mag.com/ethiopian-israelis-protest-against-police-violence-is-met-with-police-violence/106280/

By Activestills

 |Published May 3, 2015

Ethiopian-Israelis' protest against police violence is met with police violence

Police use stun grenades, violence against protest in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, sparked by video of two officers beating a black Israeli soldier. Dozens reported injured, at least 26 arrested.

Photos by Oren Ziv, Yotam Ronen, Keren Manor / Activestills
Text by Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man

Protesters scatter as police use stun grenades to disperse a protest by Israeli of Ethiopian descent demonstrating against police violence, May 3, 2015. (Activestills.org)

A protest by Israelis of Ethiopian descent against discriminatory police brutality was met with police violence for the second time in as many days, this time in central Tel Aviv.

Police used stun grenades, sponge-tipped bullets, riot officers and mounted officers to disperse several thousand protesters who arriving in Rabin Square some five hours after the demonstration began elsewhere in the city.

There were dozens of injuries reported by protesters and police. A police spokesperson later said that 26 people were arrested. Activists indicated that more protesters were in police custody.

The protest followed a similar demonstration in Jerusalem Saturday night, which was a response to video of Israeli police beating an Israeli soldier of Ethiopian descent.

Protesters flipped over a police car in Rabin square and were throwing plastic bottles at officers.

A number of members of Knesset joined the protest when it started. The protesters soon descended onto Tel Aviv’s main freeway, blocking traffic in both directions for hours.

Eventually police used force to clear the freeway and the protesters continued marching toward the city’s most famous square, Rabin Square.

A protest by Israeli of Ethiopian descent against police violence blocks Tel Aviv’s main freeway, May 3, 2015. (Activestills.org)

Mounted police ready to disperse protest by Israeli of Ethiopian descent against police in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, May 3, 2015. (Activestills.org)

Protesters set fire to trash in the street at a demonstration by Israeli of Ethiopian descent against police in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, May 3, 2015. (Activestills.org)

Protesters sit in the road at a demonstration by Israelis of Ethiopian descent against police in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, May 3, 2015. (Activestills.org)

A police horse reacts to a flurry of stun grenades thrown by police at a demonstration by Israelis of Ethiopian descent against police in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, May 3, 2015. (Activestills.org)

Police arrest a protester at a demonstration by Israelis of Ethiopian descent against police in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, May 3, 2015. (Activestills.org)

“I was in the Border Police and I’ve never seen stun grenades used at a protest [in Israel],” protester tells Channel 10. “We’re Israelis, we’re Jews.”

Even in the most tense and violent days of the social protests in 2011 and 2012, in nights when bank windows were broken and 90 people arrested, police did not use crowd control means generally reserved for the West Bank and Arab protesters.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced late Sunday that he would hold meetings with representatives of Israelis of Ethiopian descent, including the soldier whose beating sparked the current round of protests.

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New Israel Fund: Stand with Israelis against hate.

Source: mass emailing

Debra V. -- The number of hate crimes targeting the Arab population in Israel has shot up since Israel destroyed buildings in the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar last month. Jewish extremists connected to settler groups are reportedly behind these so-called "Price Tag" attacks. [1]  The good news is that there are many Israelis who want to see an end to this phenomenon. A coalition of organizations, known as Tag Meir, is organizing a large demonstration outside of the Prime Minister's residence on Sunday. You and I have an opportunity to stand with these Israelis. Israel's leaders have firmly denounced these attacks. Last week Prime Minister Netanyahu said that these attacks go "against our values." [2] Two Cabinet officials want to classify the right-wing groups behind the violence as "terrorist" groups. [3] However, the Israeli government's actions have failed to match its strong rhetoric. Most of the perpetrators of these crimes have not been charged, [4] and the pace of attacks is quickening. Show your support for the Israelis who are speaking out. Sign this statement. It will be read aloud at the rally on Sunday. And we'll keep collecting signatures and delivering them to the office of the Prime Minister even after the rally. You and I know that Israel is a fragmented society. Too many Palestinian Israelis already feel like second class citizens. The failure to stop the attacks reinforces this troubling sense of alienation. NIF believes in fostering a shared society for all Israelis. We stand for equality and democracy. That's why our partners in Israel are mobilizing around this issue. And that's why we hope you will lend your voice as well. Let's not forget: Price Tag attacks don't just take place in Israel proper. Most of the violence takes place in the West Bank, where Palestinian civilians and IDF soldiers are targeted. Especially at this moment -- in the absence of peace talks -- it's vital that the extremists are not allowed to further fan the flames of hatred. This violence is a threat to the moral fiber of Israel, to its Jewish and democratic character, and to the security of its citizens.  It demands a response. Thank you for everything you do. Daniel Sokatch, CEO New Israel Fund [1] Haaretz, 5/8. http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/.premium-1.589469 [2] Jerusalem Post, 4/30. http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Netanyahu-says-Price-Tag-attacks-go-against-our-values-350963 [3] Haaretz, 5/7. http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/1.589408 [4] Jerusalem Post, 4/30. http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/The-price-is-going-up-350952

 

New Israel Fund: We will not be deterred.

Source: mass emailing

Debra V. -- It seems silly at first. 100 men and women are planning to blow shofars outside the UJA-Federation this evening. They're calling on the UJA to exclude NIF, Partners for a Progressive Israel, and B'Tselem from New York's Celebrate Israel Parade based on the phony charge that we support the global BDS movement. The protestors seek to narrow the margins of debate about Israel. They can't seem to come to terms with the notion that, for many thousands of us, loving Israel means not sweeping Israel's problems under the rug, but rather helping Israelis overcome the most difficult challenges Israel faces: from ending the occupation, to preserving democratic freedoms, to upholding women's rights. So what's the big deal about 100 protesters in Manhattan, especially when the UJA, the JCRC, and so many in the organized Jewish community are standing with us? Sadly, the shofar blowers are getting support from Israeli extremists, including those in positions of real influence. Just yesterday Knesset Member Yariv Levin -- chairman of Prime Minister Netanyahu's coalition and the author of anti-democratic legislation -- wrote them a letter of support. What I have come to understand is that there is a visceral connection between those protesting the UJA and the ultra-nationalist settlers who hold so much influence in the current Israeli government. Both seek to narrow the scope of acceptable discourse. Both are emboldened by the collapse of the peace process. Both want to rip Israel away from its heritage as a liberal democracy. NIF is committed to the proposition that Israel can be simultaneously a Jewish homeland and a democracy where everyone participates in a shared and just society. You and I know, however, that this vision of Israel is jeopardized by the rise of political forces bent on delegitimizing progressive Israelis, marginalizing Israel's Arab minority, and shutting out women's voices. We also know that the answer to this threat is to help ordinary Israelis fashion a better Israel. This has been the core of NIF's work for more than 30 years. The time has also come for us to step up our investment to change the public discourse in Israel and to rebuild the pro-democracy, progressive camp. You will be hearing more from me soon about the bold steps we are initiating to shift the national direction from greater exclusion toward greater openness. The noisy extremists will not deter us. Not from marching in the Celebrate Israel Parade, nor from pushing for social change. We will continue to provide the support that Israel's champions of democracy need to build a better Israel. We will be at the parade on June 1st, and I hope you will join us with your family and friends. Click here to sign up and march with the New Israel Fund. Also, please take a second and forward this message to any of your friends or family in the Tri-State area who are committed to Israel and to progressive values. Thank you for your partnership. Daniel Sokatch, CEO New Israel Fund P.S. -- This squabble over the parade in New York has been generating a ton of press. Here are a few good ones, and a great one by our NY/Tri-State director.

New Israel Fund: NIF News: Building a More Inclusive Israel - 13 February 2014

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13 February 2014   Building a More Inclusive Israel Israel, founded as the Jewish state, was never meant to be a theocracy... Read More »   We Must Not Be Silenced by Spin Rachel Liel responds to recent campaigns designed to intimidate progressive voices in Israel. Read More »   Kiryat Tivon Teacher Keeps His Job A classroom discussion stirred a nationwide controversy over whether critical thinking belongs in civics classes. Read More »   Making Government Accountable Activist and lawyer Alona Vinograd is making transparency an Israeli norm. Read More »   Let There be Light! Residents of unrecognized Arab neighborhoods in Lod will finally be connected to the national electricity grid. Read More »   Tag Meir in Abu Tor Following the latest Price Tag attack in Abu Tor, Jerusalem, the NIF-convened Tag Meir coalition organized a show of solidarity. SEE photos »     What We're Reading David Rotem: Give the Brother Some Love Water Over Rocks, 6 February 2014 Frankly Scarlett, You Should Give a Damn The American Prospect, 6 February 2014 Boycotting Settlements is Not Anti-Israel JTA, 5 February 2014 Reform Movement Attacked Again in Israel's Knesset Haaretz, 9 February 2014 Yeshagate: The Great Secret of the Settler Councils Molad, 31 January 2014 Jerusalem to Get Racist Chief Rabbi? Haaretz, 29 January 2014 Events [SF] Aluf Benn & Jeffrey Goldberg on Foreign Affairs 20 February 2014 [DC] New Gen Shabbat: The Occupation 21 February 2014 [SF] New Gen Shabbat: The Occupation 21 February 2014 [NY] New Gen Shabbat: The Occupation 21 February 2014 [SF] Jewish Law and Moral Perspectives on Equality in the Jewish State 25 February 2014 [Boston] New Gen Shabbat: The Occupation 28 February 2014 [Seattle] Dancing in Jaffa at the Jewish Film Festival 04 March 2014 [DC] Community Education Day on Israeli Arab Issues 09 March 2014