Everything must be done to ensure we do not entrench ourselves in positions of hatred, anger, and vengeance.
There can be no doubt that, just as it has so many times before, Israel has once again failed in its absorption of generations of immigrants. Israel's absolute commitment should be to absorb Ethiopian immigrants in the correct way, and we cannot accept a situation in which again and again, young members of the Ethiopian Israeli community are faced with the deadly response of law enforcement.
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Nevertheless, members of the community should know that it is precisely because they are an integral part of Israeli society, they must demonstrate mutual acceptance because we share a joint future.
Israeli society must be doubly committed to making things right because the whole thing reeks of racism. It is very easy to compare us to American society's difficulty in accepting blacks. But the truth is that deep down, we Israelis love our fellow man, and we have opened our arms particularly wide to the Ethiopian society. We can overcome the insults and the physical harm that has been incurred and embark on a new path.
The protests could be a double-edged sword for the Ethiopian community, should civilians who were negatively impacted by the protests become resentful. There is no place for violence. There is no place for incitement, whether toward members of the Ethiopian community or otherwise.
Social media is overflowing with incitement and invective, and everything must be done to create a new image of reciprocal relations between different sectors in our society. I was one of those who personally welcomed the coming of Ethiopian Jews to Israel. I wrote quite a lot on the subject at the time, and I have some very good friends who belong to the community, whom I have known for years. I share in their joy and in their sorrow. I know that deep down, with all of their being, they simply want to be a part of Israeli society.
