The government has announced it remains committed to eliminating discrimination against Israel’s Ethiopian Jewish community. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu this week officially accepted the report prepared by the team on eradicating racism against Israelis of Ethiopian origin.

PM Netanyahu on Sunday evening 25 Tammuz received the report from Justice Ministry Director-General Amy Palmor, who headed the team on eradicating racism against Israelis of Ethiopian origin – the conclusions and recommendations of the team on eradicating racism against Israelis of Ethiopian origin. The inter-ministerial team was established by the Prime Minister in the framework a decision by the special ministerial committee on advancing the integration into Israeli society of Israelis of Ethiopian origin, which he chairs. The ministerial team will convene tomorrow in order to discuss the report and – it is anticipated – approve its recommendations.

The Prime Minister stated, “I am not prepared to tolerate racism in our state. I am not prepared for people to be tripped up by the color of their skin. This is terrible. We, on the ministerial committee, have heard heart-rending and hair-raising stories and we started to take action against racism even beforehand. But now, in the wake of this report, which is part of our decisions, we will take further steps and I am pleased that there are people, men and women, who are determined to uproot this phenomenon from our lives. This befits neither our country, our citizens nor our people.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)