Ethiopian MK Calls for Inquiry into Racism in Israel
May 3, 2015MK Dr. Avraham Nagosa (Likud) has demanded that the government establish a commission of inquiry to examine the treatment of Ethiopians in Israel, following mass protests by the Ethiopian community in Tel Aviv.
“Anger is a justified and legitimate protest, I would like to do anything without violence and legally with restraint on both sides,” he stated to Arutz Sheva. “Violence is not our way.”
“We will not give up until the phenomenon of police violence against the Ethiopian community, and every citizen in Israel, is eradicated,” Nagosa stated. “Israel cannot be a country where every IDF soldier receives a brutal beating.”
“We will continue to fight to ensure that racism disappears,” he added. “I call on the police to ‘clean house’ and abide by the law.”
Nagosa explained that racism is not only prevalent in the police, but also other frameworks in Israeli society.
“There are many manifestations of racism against Ethiopian immigrants in education, at work and almost everywhere – but we should realize that we are one society, we have one state which is the state of Israel, and we must keep it united and equal,” he declared.
Nagosa called on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to set up a commission of inquiry to examine the treatment of Ethiopians in Israel.
“I think that the Prime Minister understands there were mistakes made here in mishandling Ethiopians and I hope this committee will be established, and will succeed in restoring the situation to calm – and the sooner, the better,” he said.
According to Nagosa, there are now 137,000 Israelis of Ethiopian origin or descent in Israel, and they deserve to have a representative not only in the Knesset but also in the government.
“The majority of society agrees that the protest was justified and that the government needs to address the issue,” he noted.
“I think unlike immigrants from Russia and the Soviet Union, we do not have key people in the central government of the state of Israel and we have no political influence, we do not have a Foreign Minister or Minister of Absorption representing us,” he said, referring to Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) and Sofa Landver.
“The responsibility is on the systems and institutions in the country that gave us an opportunity for us to be a part of Israeli society,” to provide similar representatives, he said.
Demonstrations will continue in Tel Aviv over the issue on Sunday.
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