An officer was stabbed Wednesday during a protest by Ethiopian Israelis against the police's handling of an investigation into a deadly hit-and-run that killed an Ethiopian Israeli boy several months earlier. 

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The policeman was hospitalized with a moderate wound at the Tel Aviv Sourasky (Ichilov) Medical Center, law enforcement said, adding that they were looking for the suspect who fled the scene. 

Video: Protester injured after jumping off bridge while fleeing police / Free usage under Israeli copyright law (Section 27A)

Another three officers were lightly injured and 10 people were arrested. 

Demonstrators demanded a proper investigation into the incident, accusing the police of leniency toward the driver who hit 4-year-old Rafael Adana in May. 

Seventy-year-old Carol Fassler allegedly initially fled the scene but was later arrested along with her daughter, Heidi, who is suspected to have also been in the car at the time of the incident. Fassler reportedly drove straight to a car repair shop after hitting Adana in an attempt to repair the vehicle and conceal evidence. 

Law enforcement said they would not charge Fassler with manslaughter and she would only be held accountable for fleeing the scene. 

Adana was hospitalized after the hit-and-run and died several days later. 

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The Ethiopian community in Israel, primarily its youth, suffers from over-policing and discrimination according to a grave report published by State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman on Wednesday.

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Compared to the general population, the report said, Ethiopian Israelis are arrested and indicted at a disproportionate rate.

According to the report, police investigations into members of the community were carried out against minors at a rate 3.8 times higher than their relative share of the population (1.7%), and at a rate of 1.9 times among adults.

"The figures indicate over-policing toward this population," the comptroller report said, "and show particularly high irregularity in relation to minors from the Ethiopian community."

Meanwhile, trust in the police and satisfaction in their actions was at only 13% in the community, according to surveys conducted by the police, the report said.

The comptroller additionally noted that Israeli youths from the Ethiopian community receive fewer opportunities to exit cycles of crime and delinquency compared to their contemporaries in the wider population.

Another troubling issue raised in the report is that oftentimes youths from the Ethiopian community aren't even aware a police file was opened against them and that even if the probes are closed later and found to be groundless, they can severely harm their socioeconomic track by blocking them from being drafted into the IDF.

Moreover, the report said that many Ethiopian minors do not have sufficient education or support to know how to contend with investigations and that the IDF and Israel Police have done little to make sure these investigations are closed speedily.

"Consequently, teenagers with a criminal past who otherwise could have enlisted in the IDF, and thus bettered their chance of integrating into society, could fall between the cracks," the report said.

"Five years after the police program to strengthen the public faith among Ethiopians, the rate of enforcement against Ethiopians remains much higher than for the rest of the population," Englman said.

"Law enforcement officials must act to eliminate the phenomenon of racism, over-policing and profiling" of Ethiopians, he added.

With regards to the integration of members of the Ethiopian community, the report revealed that around 75% reported encountering racist remarks while at work, while 14 of 22 government ministries did not meet the government target for adequate representation of the community, which itself is only 1.7% of the workforce.

In response to the comptroller's report, the Israel Police said, "Officers are constantly working to protect and serve all Israeli citizens faithfully, and provide them with equal police services regardless of origin, religion or skin color."

The police also said that within the past week alone, it started a local initiative that "will be a national-professional authority to oversee the issue and to act to create additional mechanisms and processes" to improve relations between police and the Ethiopian sector.

In addition, the police said the new initiative was "a long-term strategic change that is aimed at improving the quality of police services for the different sectors, including the Ethiopian community."

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Last year saw the number of racism complaints more than triple, a report published Wednesday by the Anti-Racism Coordinating Government Unit in the Justice Ministry revealed.

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The data showed that the number of complaints filed in 2020 stood at 1,450 – three times higher than in 2019 when 497 complaints were lodged.

The unit attributed the drastic rise in racist incidents to the health and social impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the Knesset election campaign that took place at the beginning of 2020.

The data further revealed that 27% of the complaints were filed by Ethiopian Israelis, another 27% by Arab Israelis, 19% by Haredim, and 7% by immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

Some 25% of the complainants reported racist behavior in the public service, 19% complained of racial slurs, 15% of racism at the workplace, 11% reported racial stereotypes in advertising, and 9% complained of discrimination by law enforcement officials.

The unit handed over 41 complaints to the police for further investigation but only 22% of those were resolved. Some 11 complaints were dismissed, three were ruled as unwarrented, another three were transferred to the State Attorney's office, four are still being processed, and only one was being investigated. The police declined to comment about the rest of the complaints.

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The violence of the riots, along with accusations that Israel's police and government are racist, surprised many across Israel, raising concerns that organizations with political agendas were inflaming the protests for political gain.

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When Smadar Taspai, a social worker for Israeli-Ethiopian youth at risk, found out about the death of 19-year-old Solomon Tekah, she was "devastated" but didn't rush to judgment.

"We are waiting to see the video; we want to see what happened," Taspai told JNS. Taspai did voice her concern, however, that stereotypes of the Ethiopian community might have contributed to the shooting, as well as to the shooting of 24-year-old Ethiopian Israeli Yehuda Biadga by police in January.

According to the officer's testimony, he was walking in Haifa's Kiryat Haim neighborhood after dark with his wife and children when they happened upon a street fight between young Ethiopian Israeli men. When he identified himself as a police officer and tried to break up the fight, the young men began to throw rocks at him. The officer claimed that he perceived a danger to himself and his family, and fired at the ground. The bullet ricocheted off the ground and hit Tekah in the chest.

The officer, who cannot be named due to a gag order, was arrested on suspicion of unlawful killing and later released to house arrest, under heavy guard for his own protection. Charges of manslaughter have already been dropped. Police have yet to release security camera footage of the incident, although there are rumors that such footage exists and supports the officer's version of events.

According to Eytan Meir, branch coordinator for the nongovernmental organization Im Tirtzu, while this is not the first police shooting of an Ethiopian Israeli, such shootings are "isolated incidents" rather than an indication of any systematic racism or stereotyping.

"Ethiopians are 100% Israelis," he told JNS. "Israel risked its own security when it rescued Ethiopians in Operations Moses and Solomon in the 1980s and '90s, respectively – that doesn't sound like the act of a racist country."

According to Meir, what started as a natural protest and an unfortunate death was twisted into a political charade that did not represent the will of the aggrieved Ethiopian community.

"The protests started as a grassroots, spontaneous movement in the Ethiopian community," said Meir, "but it is evident that the radical left-wing group New Israel Fund rapidly tried to hijack them."

According to Meir, left-wing organizations sought to use the protests as a vehicle to advance their agenda of dismantling Israel's right-wing government. In particular, Meir pointed to the Standing Together organization, which he calls "one of the pet projects of the New Israel Fund."

According to Meir, the group claims to be "grassroots" despite its funding sources. "As the smoke cleared," said Meir, "it became evident that Standing Together, which receives funding from the New Israel Fund, was heavily involved in the protests that began on Tuesday."

Meir's account is corroborated by a joint report by The Jewish Press and the Tazpit News Agency that Standing Together had a prominent presence at the demonstrations.

Ethiopian community activist Bezalel Yaakov wrote a scathing attack on his Facebook page against the left-wing leaders at the demonstrations.

"Our struggle is against policy, not against the state," he wrote.

"Unfortunately, I see the human scum of the Breaking the Silence and the New Israel Fund inciting the young people of my community against the State of Israel," he charged. He warned his followers that the "progressives" want to "see blood in the streets more than they want to help our community. They push themselves into any legitimate struggle and turn it into a struggle against the state.

"Our struggle is against policy and not against the state," he said. "Yes to the protest, no to violence. I doubt that they would have shown up if there were no elections soon," he added, referring to the general election set for September.

Meir explains that the left-wing political entities are attempting to link the Ethiopian community in Israel with the US civil rights struggle.

He said any comparison between the circumstances of Ethiopian Israelis and those of African Americans in the United States is "absurd."

"There is no semblance of a parallel; it's comparing apples and oranges. There is a big distinction between individual racists and systematic racism by law or de facto policy," Meir said.

At the same time, while stating that Israel is certainly not a racist country he noted that there are certainly individual racists in Israel, just as there are in every country.

"Some people are racist, and we should denounce them," said Meir. "Every citizen in Israel should be treated equally."

Similarly, Taspai said that while she sees some similarities between the two communities, the comparison is upsetting.

"I don't like it when people compare the Ethiopian story to the United States," she said. "There's something unique here and there. Here, we are all Jewish and supposed to be equal, but there, there was slavery."

In her work with Ethiopian Israelis ages 13-21, Taspai has found that teens and young adults in the community have become "very, very angry" in the past few years.

Taspai, who immigrated to Israel with her family from Ethiopia in 1983, one year before Operation Moses, said that the generation she works with is very different from her own or that of her parents. The Ethiopians of the past were known to be modest and docile, she said, while the generations born in Israel are "stronger and more determined" and do not stay quiet when they see something that needs to be changed.

"This is the country we dreamed of and adore, but sometimes we feel people are trying to push us and we ask, 'Why?' I am trying to be objective, not to be too involved, but [the question remains]," she said.

Taspai's brother is a police officer, and she noted that there are many good officers among the Israel Police force. Previous generations of Ethiopian Israelis, she said, have great respect for the police and vice versa, both back in Ethiopia and in Israel, but this trust is now being challenged.

While Taspai estimates that a staggering 70% of the Border Police force is of Ethiopian descent, "the teens have a lot of criticism about the police and Israeli government."

According to Taspai, the teens "want justice and to feel equal. They were born in Israel and grew up as Israelis with strong Jewish identities but still feel discriminated against whether in school, on the street or by the police."

While there are various initiatives seeking to better relations between members of the police and the Ethiopian community, according to Taspai, "they're not really working."

"We need to put more effort into education from a young age and ensure there are Ethiopians in every sector of society, including educators, so people see them and know them, preventing stereotypes rather than only seeing them in the army and the news."

While she understands the frustrations of young Ethiopian Israelis, Taspai tells those she works with that "you don't solve violence with violence," urging them to think of more effective ways to fight discrimination.

"Nobody is waking up saying, 'We're going to shoot Ethiopians.' You can't take it personally," she advises. "Yes, there is a problem, but you can still make it in Israeli society. You can't think that you don't have the same opportunities; you must have hope and dreams. There are a lot of successful stories of Ethiopian educators, doctors, lawyers – we have everything."

"You have to have trust in the Israeli state," she urged.

Correction:

On July 8, 2019, Israel Hayom published an article titled "Left-wing groups accused of 'hijacking' Israeli-Ethiopian protests," by JNS reporter Eliana Rudee, which was taken from JNS, the Jewish News Syndicate.

The article alleged that German left-wing party Die Linke does not recognize Israel's existence. From an inquiry made with JNS following the publication, we found that JNS could not independently substantiate this claim.

Further, JNS informed that they were presented with evidence that Die Linke does recognize Israel's existence and calls for a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel Hayom apologizes if anyone found said publication to be offensive.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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Demonstrators blocked highways around the country, including a major thoroughfare through central Tel Aviv and the main highway into Jerusalem, snarling traffic late into the night. Protesters burned tires and held signs calling for justice. In Tel Aviv, a protester set a car on fire and demonstrators clashed with police.

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Police said officers arrested 60 people believed involved in disturbances and at least 80 people, including 47 officers, were wounded in clashes.

Several officers were reportedly receiving medical attention after being sprayed with tear gas as they rescued a driver whose windshield was smashed by protesters after he had apparently broken through the barrier they created at Tel Aviv's central Azrieli junction.

Dozens more Ethiopian Israelis joined a Facebook campaign declaring that they would refuse to perform their reserve army duties.

The protesters, led by activists from the country's Ethiopian minority, demonstrated against perceived systematic discrimination by police toward the community after an off-duty officer shot and killed Tekah.

The protests were expected to resume on Wednesday, according to the police.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement expressing sympathy for the Ethiopian community and acknowledging that "there are problems that need to be solved," but warning demonstrators that the authorities "will not tolerate the blocking of roads."

"We all mourn the tragic death of young Solomon Tekah. We embrace the family. We embrace the Ethiopian community. It is dear to me; it is dear to us. These are not mere words.

"I know that there are problems that need to be solved. We have worked hard and need to work more to solve them. But I ask of you one thing. Stop blocking the roads. We are a nation of law; we will not tolerate the blocking of roads. I ask you, let us solve the problems together while upholding the law," the prime minister said.

Thousands attended Tekah's funeral Tuesday. Police said the officer in question was arrested and was placed in protective custody by court order.

Ethiopian Israeli lawmakers and protesters, and Tekah's family have demanded that the involved officer be held accountable.

"I hope that [my son] will be the last victim," David Tekah, Solomon's father, said at the funeral. "We demand that the murderer receive what he deserves and justice is done."

Ethiopian Jews began arriving in large numbers in the 1970s and many were airlifted to Israel in clandestine operations in the 1980s and 90s during periods of unrest. Today, the Ethiopian community is estimated at approximately 150,000, or around 2% of the country's population, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics.

While some of its members have made strides in certain fields, many Ethiopian Israelis complain of racism, lack of opportunity, endemic poverty, and routine police harassment.

That frustration turned to public outcry and mass protests in 2015 after a police officer was filmed beating a uniformed Ethiopian Israeli soldier, and there have been sporadic demonstrations since.

Protesters say that in multiple instances of perceived police brutality, officers were not properly held accountable.

"What you see here is the frustration of an entire community that for 40 years is suffering discrimination," a protester who identified himself only as Hanan told Kan, Israel's public broadcaster.

After meeting with police commanders early Wednesday, meanwhile, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said that while he supports the right to protest, authorities would not tolerate "anarchy."

"The Israel Police made every effort and did everything possible to allow the protesters to express their pain and put across their message," said Erdan. "Forces acted with restraint and tried to avoid violent clashes that would lead to further bloodshed."

"We will continue to protect the rights of protesters to demonstrate, but we will not tolerate anarchy and we will not tolerate serious disruptions to public life," he said, adding that police would also "work to prevent harm to people or serious destruction of property."

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Hundreds of protesters gathered in Haifa, where Solomon Tekah, 19, was shot dead on Sunday night.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that authorities would swiftly investigate Tekah's death, as the officer involved in the incident was detained and later released to house arrest.

Three policemen were wounded as demonstrators in Haifa threw stones and firecrackers, lit tires on fire, and blocked traffic into the city. Protests were held in a number of other cities, as well as outside the home of Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan in Kiryat Ono.

The officer involved in the shooting of Tekah claimed that he was trying to break up a street brawl he came across while off-duty, when three youths attacked him, hurling stones at him. Eyewitness testimony, however, disputed the officer's claim that his life was in danger when he opened fire.

The incident sparked renewed accusations of police brutality and prejudice against Ethiopian Israelis.

Previous tensions between police and the Israeli Ethiopian community boiled over last January when thousands protested in Tel Aviv against police violence and brutality.

The protesters burned trash cans and threw bottles at police, after a mentally unstable young man, Yehuda Biadga, was shot to death, sparking anger and accusations of unfair police treatment.

Israel's Ethiopian community now numbers around 140,000 people, including more than 50,000 who were born in the Jewish state.

This article was originally published by i24NEWS.

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