Protests by the Ethiopian community over the killing of a teenager in Haifa by an off-duty policeman resumed Wednesday evening, as police forces throughout the country braced to prevent the massive traffic jams caused a day earlier by protesters blocking central arteries, highways and junctions.
On Wednesday morning protest leaders announced they will resume later today, in areas around Israel, including Ben-Gurion International Airport and outside the home of Prime Minister Netanyahu in Caesarea.
But Wednesday’s demonstrations appeared calmer than those of the previous night, when outrage over the killing touched off violent clashes, with demonstrators attacking police and vandalizing vehicles in response to what they see as ongoing police brutality.
Protests are quieting down around the country, possibly in response to the call by the Tekah family to stop the demonstrations until after Shiva ends on Sunday.
The protests were sparked by the fatal weekend shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Solomon Takka by a policeman. Takka, who was unarmed, was shot by an off-duty policeman who explained he felt threatened when some threw rocks at him. The family of the deceased insist he was not involved in the rock-throwing.
Police announced that 136 persons were arrested and 111 were injured, most sustaining light injury. As seen in the footage from yesterday, protesters turned over and set police cars ablaze, and indiscriminately damaged property and attacked passersby. KAN11 News reports this morning there are also reports that live gunfire was directed at police. Police on Wednesday announce they will not permit a repeat of the violence seen on Tuesday.
MDA reports EMTs and paramedics provided medical treatment to a total of 83 injured, including 47 police officers, 26 demonstrators, 9 bystanders and 1 firefighter. Five of the injured were evacuated in moderate condition and the rest were mildly injured. In addition, MDA teams treated civilians who had been stuck for hours in traffic jams and were in need help. During the demonstrations, 6 MDA ambulances and MICUs, and 4 emergency Medicycles were damaged as a result of stone throwing.
There was a significant increase in calls to MDA 101 dispatch center, beginning in the afternoon. Dozens of ambulances and about 50 emergency Medicycles from the MDA First Responder unit were reinforced and sent as reinforcements to protest areas.
Takka was laid to rest on Tuesday afternoon, with friends explaining he was planning to enlist in the IDF in the near future. The policeman who fired the fatal shots has been suspended and the Justice Ministry’s Police Investigations Unit is probing the fatal incident.
Prime Minister Netanyahu issued the following statement on Tuesday: “We all mourn the tragic death of young Solomon Tekka. 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.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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16 Responses
The Peleg guys should do shimush with the Ethiopians. They can learn a lot from them about how to arrange a serious protest not just have a few dozen bochurim sit in the road. Just think how quickly the government would cave in and close down the army in gansen if the charedim started setting police cars, fire engines and ambulances on fire. Go guys, go.
It’s not just police cars! Pictures clearly show destroyed and burning PRIVATE CARS, which is well beyond any previous protests by anybody.There are reports of far-leftist groups bringing in people including Arabs for these riots,as well as providing funding!
At first I was sympathetic to their cause but that has all but eroded. Was stuck in traffic for 4 hours due to their protest. There were people who need life saving medicine who were saved by Hatzola volunteers on motorscooters. They are self-centered egomaniacs who only think of themselves. And the police were totally AWOL.
IS THIS A KIDUSH HASHEM OR A CHILUL HASHEM?
IT DEPENDS
IF IT IS CHARIEDIM IT IS A CHILUL HASHEM
IF IT IS NOT CHARIEDIM THEN IT IS A KIDUSH HASHEM
where are their rabbonim? does their community have any mentors except thugs, agitators ?
Jerusalem observer
You are wrong
The peleg protests are worse.
Just ask any number of people here in the c r
I mean just think about it.
What does peleg want?
The government to
Release from jail
Stop Conscriptions
What are they doing?
Public nuisance causing people and the government grief hoping to force their side. How stupid!
Now let’s look at the civilized Ethiopian protesters.
What do they want?
To bring a dead guy back to life.
To bring the “murderous ” officer to justice (it’s already been started, he was arrested, booked, and will be investigated) (without their protests)
To stop being discriminated against (something which the government denies it does and surely is not official policy, so it’s much more difficult to “change “)
What are they doing about it?
Destroying Public property, attacking police, setting fires, destroying private property, threatenIng private passerbys
Now that is smart!!
If you had to worry every time your kid/brother/husband went out of the house they might be shot and killed by someone who’s supposed to be protecting the community, you might not be too happy either.
I don’t approve of throwing rocks or burning cars, but the situation has gotten to be unbearable. We are the am hanivchar, and it doesn’t say anything in Tanach about the worth of a Jew being dependent on the color of their skin or their ethnic origin. When Am Yisroel sins, it (we) is punished. Situations where one Jew in effect murders another and gets away with it is a chillul HaShem and threatens the wellbeing of the klal. It’s not just the Ethiopians who are threatened by this police problem – look up about justice for the poor and powerless in Yirmeyahu and Yeshayahu. (And this is one more thing for the Iranians to point at when they talk about eliminating Israel. )
Jerusalem observer, why stop with just closing down the army? Why not just close down all non essential services such as the border control agents, the police, and the fire department? Lets while we are at it close down the sanitation workers as well. Maybe we can send our AOC over there and she can explain to you how to survive without these services.
It should be investigated as to who really in the Ethiopian community is calling for these violent protests, which includes destruction of private property. I’m no fan of the Israeli police force, but these protests have gone far beyond an acceptable or reasonable protest and are being used by nefarious anti-Israel organizations.
midwest2
you perfectly illustrate the issue with commentators here
גדול המחטיאו יותר מן ההרגו
that means in a certain level (not in all, see shulchan aruch) its worse to cause someone to sin than to kill him.
having said that, your comment is false by omission
it needs to read
If you had to worry every time your kid/brother/husband went out of the house AND ACTED LIKE A WILD ANIMAL IN PUBLIC , OR WORSE, they might be shot and killed by someone who’s supposed to be protecting the community, you might not be too happy either.
while that may be true ,
compare that to n average frum man, and now even girl, who is worried that just because they live they may be forced to be עובר הרבה איסורים חמורים
so the comparison is
an ethiopian who acts like a gangster may get shot by police(if he doesnt get shot by other ethiopian thugs first)
vs
a yeshiva bochur who may be conscripted into the army and forced to be over just because.
you tell me who has more of a right to protest???????????????
Moving to Israel is called Aliyah. That simply drips with irony. Before Moshiach’s arrival, one could live in some racially restive sewer like Ferguson, Missouri for a lot less money.
These riots were not a spontaneous response to Tekka’s death. The death was a convenient trigger to set into action a pre-planned and very well-organized attack on the entire country. The architects of this paralyzing attack are extreme leftists and Arabs who realized that the Ethiopians are ideal pawns who could be easily manipulated. The success of their operation is cause for concern.
What sort of headline editorialization is going on here? Nothing in the article urges violence.
This isn’t what a real גר should do
wait until they find out that the police officer was correct, what then
ARE THEY MAKING US QUESTION IF IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO BRING THEM IN THE THOUSANDS TO ISRAEL!! AS RABBIS SAID EVEN IF THEY HAD JEWISH KNOWLEDGE CENTURIES AGO AS THEY WERE DETACHED FROM JEWRY AND JEWISH TEXTS AND RABBIS WITH JEWISH KNOWLEDGE (TALMUD AND JEWISH LAW) HOW KOSHER COULD THEY HAVE STAYED OVER TIME WITH OUT KOSHER MARRIAGES OR DIVORCES ETC!? AND THEY SEEM TO SHOW WE HAVE BROUGHT HOODLUM KINDS OF PEOPLE TO THE ONE JEWISH STATE!! I DO NOT WANT TO JUDGE A WHOLE GROUP BUT WHERE ARE THE LEADERS?!? IS THIS HOW FELLOW “JEWS” ACT!