IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi met on Sunday with 12 career soldiers hailing from Israel's Ethiopian community.
During the meeting, which Kochavi convened after receiving a letter from Ethiopian officers and non-commissioned officers about the prevalence of racism, the attendees conveyed their personal experiences and feelings on the matter with the chief of staff.
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The IDF said in a statement that during the meeting Kochavi stressed there was no place for racism in the army and that stringent measures must be implemented in such cases.
Kochavi added that officers and commanders throughout the military must further instill and strengthen the principles of tolerance and acceptance of the other – in training and study courses and via specialized educational programs on the subject.
Earlier this month, mass protests across the country, sparked by the killing of an Ethiopian teen by an off-duty police officer in Haifa, turned violent.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement expressing sympathy for the Ethiopian community and acknowledging that "there are problems that need to be solved."
