Ethiopian Jews are met with endemic racism in Israel

Hundreds of Ethiopian immigrants landed in Tel Aviv in March as part of an aggressive move by the Israeli regime to change the demographics of the occupied territories and further push Palestinians out of their land.

These very same Ethiopians face constant discrimination and racism in Israel despite having been invited by the Israeli regime.

An Ethiopian immigrant in the occupied territories, speaks out here during an anti racism protest.

We can tell that no one sees us, no one investigates these issues deeply, and they always sweep this issue under the carpet.

Ethiopian Israeli Immigrant

Some 300 Ethiopian immigrants landed in Tel Aviv in mid March as part of a colonial plan by the Israeli regime to bring the Ethiopian Jewish community to the occupied territories.

They were the last of 2000 Ethiopian immigrants to arrive in an operation which began last December.

Nearly 150,000 Ethiopian Jews now live in Israel, many of whom arrived in a secret immigration operation that took place in the mid 1980s and early 1990s.

Most of these Ethiopian Jews face racism in their daily lives and experience institutional discrimination at every level; even their Jewishness is doubted.

This comes as no surprise since Israel is an apartheid regime.

In 2019 a trigger-happy Israeli policemen shot dead Solomon Tekah, a teenager of Ethiopian descent, sparking nationwide protests. One of the protesters expresses his fear of the daily racist attacks.

I have small kids, this is enough. It's not nice. I'm always worried about my son until I see him with my own eyes when he comes home; aren't we also humans?

Galayeh Akon, Protestor

The policeman who shot dead Tekah was recently allowed to return to duty. The family of Tekah was shocked and astonished by his being reinstated.

Such incidents are clear evidence that the racist Israeli regime does not really care about Ethiopian Jews, who are being used as part of its long term strategy to change the demographic makeup of the occupied territories.

This plan also includes constructing illegal settlements, destroying historical sites and expelling the local Palestinian population.

Ethiopian Jews have lived in Ethiopia for centuries. So why is the Israeli regime suddenly encouraging them to emigrate to the occupied territories?

You see, although the initial issue was around, Jewish Ethiopian refugees, which is part of the operation Moses situation. If you look at "Wings of Dove", this is where you have an unabashedly right wing government of Israel, and the purposes there are a little different and the numbers are not as large.

So the thing to bear in mind is that there are Ethiopian Jews, all over the world. There are prominent intellectuals, prominent activists, all the way down to the working class individual, from the cab driver to the person in the store, and there are varieties of reasons, what's unfortunate is their cause has been captured by the conflicts that are really focused more in Israel, but for Ethiopian Jews. For instance, I'm of a variety of Jewish descent from Palestine and Jerusalem to Sephardic Jews but also part of my ancestry is Ethiopian Jews, and these are Jews who were in Jamaica. So, not all Jews in the world are Jews who want to go to Israel.

Dr Lewis Gordon, Centre for Afro Jewish Studies; Professor of Philosophy, Connecticut University

Ethiopians have long complained about unfair treatment and police violence in Israel and say they are treated as third class citizens.

Bags of blood donated by Ethiopian Jews were found dumped by Israel in 1996. The discovery led to protests and riots in Israel, an Ethiopian demonstrating against discrimination and Israeli police brutality, did not mince words.

I have lots of friends who the police have hit and targeted with tasers. Yesterday it was him; tomorrow it could be me, and the day after it could be my brother or a friend. Why did they do this? Because they' are racist.

Protestor

With Ethiopian Jews facing so much discrimination in Israel, would they not have been better off staying in Ethiopia?

The thing we have to deal with is that not only are there black Jews everywhere but we face ongoing struggles, even in Israel, because, I mean, we cannot pretend.

There is racism in Israel. And I should add that the Israeli left, as do the US left, join in protest against the discrimination. But the fact is they're protesting because the discrimination exists, and especially, especially when you're talking about the police.

But as we know a big problem with black people in countries that are not predominantly black is this problem of state representatives of violence. And that's why I bring up the police, although if you bring up the Israeli case you'll also need to bring up the military.

Dr Lewis Gordon, Centre for Afro Jewish Studies; Professor of Philosophy, Connecticut University

The Israeli regime has also illegally attempted to control the birth rate among Ethiopian immigrants. The Israeli regime admitted it gave Ethiopian Jewish immigrants, birth control injections, without their knowledge or consent.

Now why did the Israeli regime forcibly inject Ethiopian women immigrants with birth control shots? This is clearly a criminal move.

The fact of Israeli misdeeds on Ethiopian Jews has been known for decades. Not only in terms of what they're doing with birth control, but the thing is very, what's very tricky is an issue that Ethiopian Jews face also when they migrate, not only in Israel, in terms of their numbers.

Dr Lewis Gordon, Centre for Afro Jewish Studies; Professor of Philosophy, Connecticut University

The Israeli regime also seeks strategic relationships with African governments, while the marginalization of Africans persists within the occupied territories, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pursuing a plan to deport thousands of African migrants in his racist anti migrant campaign.

He called these African migrants "infiltrators".

… and the major effort is to remove, in a significant manner, the majority of those remaining, who are infiltrators in Israel. We are bringing a plan today to the government for the removal of illegal infiltrators and the plan is going into action today.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel

Netanyahu has issued racist remarks against African migrants, what motivates Ethiopian Jews to migrate to the occupied territories while they clearly know they will face racial discrimination?

We're talking also about a right wing government. I don't know any right wing governments that are not racist. It's the same kind of language we had with Trump, as an example. Why would some people migrate to a right wing country that is going to treat them in dehumanising ways? Well their motivation is connected to their specific situations. In some cases they have family members there, in some cases it just so happens the opportunity came there, and in other cases they vary but in most cases it's desperation.

Dr Lewis Gordon, Centre for Afro Jewish Studies; Professor of Philosophy, Connecticut University

The exodus of Ethiopian Jews to territories occupied by Israel is out of desperation, quite clearly, this is a case of jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.

A high ranking Israeli regime diplomat had this to say on Ethiopian Jews:

Many of them actually converted or their parents converted to Christianity for various reasons, and now they wish to return to be part of the Jewish people. They are not considered as Jews so they already live as Jews but officially they're not yet converted so they're not yet Jews.

Raphael Morav, Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia

Now, the Israeli regime has been airlifting Ethiopian Jews in pursuit of its settler colonial project in the occupied Palestinian territories, but says they're not Jewish enough, what's your take?

The people who have the power, who are hegemonic, are always saying that the people who don't have the power, are not authentically, who they are, but Ethiopian Jews know they are Jewish people and Ethiopian Jews and not only them but many Jews I've met across the world, they know who they are. And in the end, if there's a state that's not going to recognise them, then look to live elsewhere.

Dr Lewis Gordon, Centre for Afro Jewish Studies; Professor of Philosophy, Connecticut University

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