Benajamin Netanyahu Meets Ethiopian Soldier whose Beating by Police Sparked Violent Protests

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with a soldier of Ethiopian descent whose assault by police officers sparked violent protests.

The New York Times reports that Netanyahu met with 21-year-old Demas Fikadey in order to quell protests that resulted in clashes with police and the closure of a major highway. In those protests, 56 police officers were injured and 43 protesters were arrested.

The protests were sparked when a video of police stopping and beating Fikadey, without any cause, as he was still in his military uniform, went viral.

The officer who assaulted Fikadey lied and said that Fikadey had assaulted him and thrown a rock. The video shows this claim was demonstrably false.

The incident has highlighted the plight of Ethiopians in Israel, which many people have described as an apartheid state because of its treatment of Arabs. Ethiopians in Israel make up only 2 percent of the population, but roughly 33 percent of Israelis in the juvenile justice system.

Israeli-Ethiopians also suffer far higher levels of poverty and unemployment compared to their composition of the general population. Many schools in Israel also limit how many Israelis of Ethiopian descent they allow to enroll. In 2012, the town of Kiryat Malachi made it policy not to sell or rent property to Ethiopians.

Many of those who took to the streets to protest Fikadey's treatment said they were drawn to protest because of these large disparities in quality of life. They also say that harassment by the police is a part of everyday life.

After meeting with Fikadey, Netanyahu said that he would create and lead a committee with the goal of addressing the challenges facing Ethiopians in housing, poverty, and education.