Immigrant absorption minister responds to Ethiopian protests against racism by saying they should be grateful to state.
Activists from within the Ethiopian community and outside reacted with fury Wednesday over comments made by Immigrant Absorption Minister Sopha Landver that they should be thankful for what they have received from the State of Israel.
Speaking at an emergency session of the Knesset Committee for Aliya, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs, which was called in light of reports of blatant racism among individuals who refuse to sell their homes to Ethiopian Israelis, Immigrant Absorption Minister Sopha Landver said that the country had done “everything possible to absorb” Ethiopian immigrants.
RELATED:
Ethiopians protest racism in Kiryat Malachi
MK Molla to A-G: Investigate Kiryat Malachi racism
“We all condemn racism but in 2010, the ministry gave millions of dollars to the Ethiopian community, we promoted Ethiopian issues in general and in particular their employment,” she said, pointing out that the Ethiopian immigrant community is many years behind the rest of Israel society in terms of its development and general integration.
“The gap is wide but the State of Israel has done everything possible to absorb them as best as we can,” said Landver.
“A minister should not respond to this kind of racism by saying that we should all be thankful,” commented the Knesset’s only member of Ethiopian descent, Shlomo Molla (Kadima). “The minister’s job is to say what she plans to do to tackle this problem.”
Molla, who said he planned to condemn Landver’s comments in a speech in the Knesset plenum, added: “If the minister thinks that every immigrant should be eternally grateful for what the state has given them, then I believe the only option is for her to step down from her position.”
On Tuesday, hundreds of members of the Ethiopian community gathered in Kiryat Malachi to protest against agroup of residents that had allegedly signed a housing agreement not to rent or sell their apartments to Ethiopians. The story was revealed last week in a news report on Channel Two.
At the protest, activists expressed their anger that Landver and no other politicians, except Molla, had spoken out against such extreme discriminatory attitudes. Many of the protestors told The Jerusalem Post that this kind of racism exists in numerous other towns outside of Kiryat Malachi and in many areas of public life.
Ethiopian-born Israeli Elias Inbram, who was one of the organizer’s of Tuesday’s protest, said Wednesday that the emergency hearing in the Knesset on the issue of racism was more like a “reality TV show.”
“They said it was an emergency but in reality this problem has existed for 30 years,” said Inbram, who walked out of the hearing in protest over its failure to really address the issue of institutionalized racism.
“It was just a meeting to try and make us feel better but we are calling on the government and legislators to take some serious steps in tackling racism,” he explained, adding that the only solution was to create a new law against it.
The legislation, said Inbram, needs to include a NIS 1 million shekel fine and even jail time for any individual that expresses such discriminatory views.
Lawyer Itzik Dessie, Executive Director of Ethiopian legal rights organization Tebeka, said that his organization had already started lobbying parliamentarians to support such a law.
Dessie, who also attended the Knesset session, said that the authorities needed to address three issue: First, enforcement of existing laws that deal with discrimination; second, creation of a new law that addresses the problems with housing; and three, to amend the law that deals with libel and slander to address individuals that bad mouth a community in a public way.
“We do not care which MK takes up this issue but there needs to be a law that deals with racism directly,” he said, adding that Landver should have addressed the need for legislation and not only spoken about “what wonderful work she is doing.”
“It is not appropriate for public figures to say that we should thank them for the work they are doing, they get a salary for it and it is their job to make things better,” added Dessie.
Immediately following the stormy Knesset session, several MKs issued statements criticizing Landver’s comments.
“Enough with the patronizing and condescending words of this government towards its citizens,” stated opposition leader and Kadima chairwoman Tzipi Livni. “It is the right of every citizen in Israel, regardless of his community, skin color or gender to live with dignity and equal rights and that should not be based on what is good for the country.”
Labor leader Shelly Yachimovitch also called Landver’s comments “patronizing and condescending.”
“Ethiopian immigrants are proud citizens of this country that deserve rights and what the state gives them is their right,” she said, adding, “It is not charity and they do not need to say thank you to anyone.”
Ilan Gilon, who was one of few MKs to attend Tuesday’s protest in Kiryat Malachi, also said that Ethiopian Israelis had no need to “thank anyone.”
He called on the government to support a bill that he is currently preparing to tackle discriminatory practices in the housing market, which will be raised for debate on Sunday in the Ministerial Committee on Legislation.
Also responding to racist attacks against the Ethiopian community,Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that had instructed his advisor on Ethiopian issues Alali Admasu to work towards eradicating the phenomenon of racism against Ethiopian immigrants.
“We are full of admiration for Ethiopian immigrants,” said the prime minister in a statement. “In the face of obstacles and difficulties, they came here and are integrating into Israeli society, which we are encouraging in every possible way. Racist phenomena are infuriating and have no place in Israeli society. The ingathering of exiles from Ethiopia and everywhere else in the world is an inseparable part of the character of the State of Israel."
Speaking at an emergency session of the Knesset Committee for Aliya, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs, which was called in light of reports of blatant racism among individuals who refuse to sell their homes to Ethiopian Israelis, Immigrant Absorption Minister Sopha Landver said that the country had done “everything possible to absorb” Ethiopian immigrants.
RELATED:
Ethiopians protest racism in Kiryat Malachi
MK Molla to A-G: Investigate Kiryat Malachi racism
“We all condemn racism but in 2010, the ministry gave millions of dollars to the Ethiopian community, we promoted Ethiopian issues in general and in particular their employment,” she said, pointing out that the Ethiopian immigrant community is many years behind the rest of Israel society in terms of its development and general integration.
“The gap is wide but the State of Israel has done everything possible to absorb them as best as we can,” said Landver.
“A minister should not respond to this kind of racism by saying that we should all be thankful,” commented the Knesset’s only member of Ethiopian descent, Shlomo Molla (Kadima). “The minister’s job is to say what she plans to do to tackle this problem.”
Molla, who said he planned to condemn Landver’s comments in a speech in the Knesset plenum, added: “If the minister thinks that every immigrant should be eternally grateful for what the state has given them, then I believe the only option is for her to step down from her position.”
On Tuesday, hundreds of members of the Ethiopian community gathered in Kiryat Malachi to protest against agroup of residents that had allegedly signed a housing agreement not to rent or sell their apartments to Ethiopians. The story was revealed last week in a news report on Channel Two.
At the protest, activists expressed their anger that Landver and no other politicians, except Molla, had spoken out against such extreme discriminatory attitudes. Many of the protestors told The Jerusalem Post that this kind of racism exists in numerous other towns outside of Kiryat Malachi and in many areas of public life.
Ethiopian-born Israeli Elias Inbram, who was one of the organizer’s of Tuesday’s protest, said Wednesday that the emergency hearing in the Knesset on the issue of racism was more like a “reality TV show.”
“They said it was an emergency but in reality this problem has existed for 30 years,” said Inbram, who walked out of the hearing in protest over its failure to really address the issue of institutionalized racism.
“It was just a meeting to try and make us feel better but we are calling on the government and legislators to take some serious steps in tackling racism,” he explained, adding that the only solution was to create a new law against it.
The legislation, said Inbram, needs to include a NIS 1 million shekel fine and even jail time for any individual that expresses such discriminatory views.
Lawyer Itzik Dessie, Executive Director of Ethiopian legal rights organization Tebeka, said that his organization had already started lobbying parliamentarians to support such a law.
Dessie, who also attended the Knesset session, said that the authorities needed to address three issue: First, enforcement of existing laws that deal with discrimination; second, creation of a new law that addresses the problems with housing; and three, to amend the law that deals with libel and slander to address individuals that bad mouth a community in a public way.
“We do not care which MK takes up this issue but there needs to be a law that deals with racism directly,” he said, adding that Landver should have addressed the need for legislation and not only spoken about “what wonderful work she is doing.”
“It is not appropriate for public figures to say that we should thank them for the work they are doing, they get a salary for it and it is their job to make things better,” added Dessie.
Immediately following the stormy Knesset session, several MKs issued statements criticizing Landver’s comments.
“Enough with the patronizing and condescending words of this government towards its citizens,” stated opposition leader and Kadima chairwoman Tzipi Livni. “It is the right of every citizen in Israel, regardless of his community, skin color or gender to live with dignity and equal rights and that should not be based on what is good for the country.”
Labor leader Shelly Yachimovitch also called Landver’s comments “patronizing and condescending.”
“Ethiopian immigrants are proud citizens of this country that deserve rights and what the state gives them is their right,” she said, adding, “It is not charity and they do not need to say thank you to anyone.”
Ilan Gilon, who was one of few MKs to attend Tuesday’s protest in Kiryat Malachi, also said that Ethiopian Israelis had no need to “thank anyone.”
He called on the government to support a bill that he is currently preparing to tackle discriminatory practices in the housing market, which will be raised for debate on Sunday in the Ministerial Committee on Legislation.
Also responding to racist attacks against the Ethiopian community,Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that had instructed his advisor on Ethiopian issues Alali Admasu to work towards eradicating the phenomenon of racism against Ethiopian immigrants.
“We are full of admiration for Ethiopian immigrants,” said the prime minister in a statement. “In the face of obstacles and difficulties, they came here and are integrating into Israeli society, which we are encouraging in every possible way. Racist phenomena are infuriating and have no place in Israeli society. The ingathering of exiles from Ethiopia and everywhere else in the world is an inseparable part of the character of the State of Israel."
No comments:
Post a Comment