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Ethiopian immigrants protesting in Jerusalem. (Tomer Applebaum / BauBau) Last update - 23:32 06/11/2006 Government to create ministerial panel on Ethiopian absorption By Anyanawo Fareda Sanbetu, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press After meeting with Ethiopian community leaders in Jerusalem on Monday, Absorption Minister Ze'ev Boim announced that he would create a ministerial panel to address the concerns of the Ethiopian sector in Israel. Eleven people were injured on Monday in clashes with police at a Jerusalem demonstration protesting systemic discrimination against Ethiopian Jews in Israel. Community leader smet with Boim following the protest, and told him "We want the country to relate to our needs." Boim decided during the meeting to allow Falashmura children in the midst of conversion to study in state schools - something that up until now, was forbidden. He also asked Finance Minister Avraham Hirschson to increase mortgage loans for Ethiopian immigrants by 25 percent. Advertisement With regard to the controversial issue of donated Ethiopian blood having been discarded due to fear of diseases, Health Minister Yaacov Ben Izri said he would establish a committee to investigate the issue. The absorption minister said he would also ask Civil Service Commissioner Shmuel Hollander to helo advance Ethiopian involvement in public service and ease theimmigration process. An estimated two hundred people gathered in front of the government compound in Jerusalem to demonstrate against "prejudice policies and racism against Ethiopian Jews." Four police officers were among the injured. Two protesters were taken into custody, and released after community leaders' meeting with Boim. According to protesters, the government hasn't implemented many of the decisions it has made to advance Ethiopian rights, including absorbtion of immigrants into Israeli society using methods affirmative action, raising salaries for Ethiopian religious leaders to match those of other Israeli rabbis, and expanding Falashmura immigration to Israel. Demonstrators were also protesting the Health Ministry's recent decision to discard donated Ethiopian blood, as reported last week on Channel 2. According to the report, the ministry revived its practice of throwing out blood, for fear it would be contaminated with disease. Witnesses at the protest said officers without identification tried to forecefully disperse the crowd by spitting and pushing young women their chests to evacuate them from the street. MK Ran Cohen told protesters, "I feel your pain. A country that discriminates against Ethiopian Jews is a racist country." He promised to raise the issue on the Knesset agenda. In response to Cohen, demonstrators shouted that they were sick of false promise and "expect a bill that will integrate us into Israeli society." Most of the protesters were young activists, who marched hand-in-hand from the Jerusalem Convention Center toward the government compound. The protest was led by rabbis and other religious leaders from within the Ethiopian community. "We are healthy people, like everyone else," said Galit Maarat, 24, who traveled to the demonstration from Ashkelon, with regard to the wholesale discarding of blood. "It's unjust, a terrible affront." Takelu Yayech, 25, who also traveled from Ashkelon, said demonstrators formed a human chain and sat down in the road at the entrance to Jerusalem to protest what she called racist policies. Inbal Jacobs, a spokeswoman for the Health Ministry, said all blood donors must fill out a questionaire that specifies that certain groups of people cannot donate blood, including those who have been in countries, like Ethiopia, where AIDS is endemic. Jacobs said Israel followed international criteria that didn't specifically target people from Africa, but rather anyone who had spent a considerable amount of time in countries at risk of blood-borne disease, including those who were in Britain during the Mad Cow disease outbreak. "There are certain guidelines, and these procedures are not unique to Israel," she said. The demonstration was initially coordinated with the police force, yet when protesters reached the government compound, they decided to block the road. Police cavalry arrived to the area in order to disperse the blockade. One protester was injured when a policeman on a horse trampled him, and another was injured when a driver trying to pass the demonstration became angry at the blockade and drove towards head-on into the crowd. The two were taken by Magen David Adom for further medical assistance. The police driver was not detained. More demonstrators were wounded in clashes when they tried to block the entrance road to Jerusalem. Jerusalem Police Spokesman Shmulik Ben-Ruby, said that the demonstration, which had a formal license, had turned into a violent protest. Two officers sustained broken bones and two others were badly bruised. Ben-Ruby said that Monday's demonstration was reminiscent of a similar incident a decade ago, which sparked protests and widespread outrage in a community that feels it is a target of racial discrimination Bookmark to del.icio.us   Nuclear allegation Jimmy Carter says Israel has arsenal of 150 nuclear weapons. On penalty of death Rightist MK Eldad says those who give away Israeli land should get death penalty.   1.   Testing blood for AIDs is now routine 19:14  |  Bimmer 06/11/06   2.   On dumping blood... 19:46  |  jkh 06/11/06   3.   not part of the 12 tribes of Israel 19:48  |  Levi 06/11/06   4.   Ugly 19:48  |  JJ 06/11/06   5.   No response from anyone ? 20:28  |  Nina 06/11/06   6.   were all jewsih 20:59  |  Kamran 06/11/06   7.   #3 - Levi 21:01  |  MichaelF 06/11/06   8.   Can a British Jew donate blood in Israel? 21:08  |  Jake 06/11/06   9.   JJ, deal with your own history of colonial aggression 21:14  |  Jake 06/11/06   10.   are they not the children of the tribe of dan? 21:23  |  maria 06/11/06   11.   #3 Levi`s true Jews 21:33  |  Gene 06/11/06   12.   ethiopians not jewish? 21:42  |  joshua 06/11/06   13.   To Levi 21:49  |  Paul 06/11/06   14.   Levi 22:21  |  Gilad 06/11/06   15.   Levi 22:38  |  natan 06/11/06   16.   13th tribe (w/ regards to #3) 22:39  |  nate 06/11/06   17.   Levi= disgrace 22:42  |  Mike 06/11/06   18.   @Levi 22:46  |  E. Goldstein 06/11/06   19.   Well 23:02  |  Tom Brinks 06/11/06   20.   #3 Levi Won`t you be in for a big surprise.. 23:03  |  Maureen Ann 06/11/06   21.   Gilad, what are you talking about? 23:04  |  Jake 06/11/06   22.   Joshua the genius 23:07  |  Jake 06/11/06   23.   The same is true of Palestinians 00:00  |  David James Vickery 07/11/06   24.   jake 00:13  |  Mr DJ 07/11/06   25.   To Jake 00:57  |  Gilad 07/11/06   26.   #3 spoken like a true racist 01:49  |  maoriboy 07/11/06   27.   To Levi 01:49  |  M 07/11/06   28.   Mr DJ, what is a Jewish colony in the Judaean Hills? 01:50  |  Jake 07/11/06   29.   Jake #9 02:49  |  JJ 07/11/06   30.   let`s struggle for your rights 02:56  |  dovdevan 07/11/06   31.   missing the point 03:33  |  david 07/11/06   32.   They are jews and have earned respect but dont get it 03:55  |  Michael 07/11/06   33.   LET`S STRUGGLE FOR YOUR RIGHTS? 07:16  |  Miriyam 07/11/06   34.   Bet Yisrael 17:47  |  ben Goy 07/11/06   35.   ETHOPIAN JEWS 08:26  |  M STEINBERG 27/05/08

Read & React Israel's wrong to ban Finkelstein, but to allow Kahanists in Send response Sources: Israel, Hezbollah strike prisoner swap deal Responses: 79 U.S. professor gives Israeli prize money to Palestinian university Responses: 175 Palestinians reject Israeli offer to hand over 91.5% of W. Bank Responses: 218 Analysis / Price of quiet in Lebanon is Hezbollah in power Responses: 56 Rosner's Domain Rosner's Guest: Jeremy Ben-Ami, the co-founder of J Street Explaining Hagee's Holocaust remarks Poll: Peace between Israel & Syria? Should American Jews Embrace Living Double Lives? Rosner's Guests: can "decisive victory" against guerilla achieved? More Headlines 09:25 Key witness Talansky begins deposition in Olmert case 09:27 J'lem sources say Israel and Hezbollah strike prisoner swap deal 08:48 Analysis / Nasrallah preparing for Kuntar's homecoming 09:17 'Tootsie' director Sydney Pollack dies of cancer at 73 06:00 Israeli source: PA security forces have improved dramatically in West Bank 02:52 Monument to gay victims of the Nazis to be unveiled in Berlin 08:46 Barack Obama says he wouldn't promise Ahmadinejad a meeting 22:20 Defense officials: Anti-rocket system to be ready to test this year 02:46 Abducted soldiers' families skeptical about Lebanese reports of swap deal 02:47 Arab children nearly 3 times more likely to die in accident 05:48 IAEA: Iran still holding back information about nuclear research 05:56 Justice minister blasts 'publicity hungry' Supreme Court Previous Editions Select Day 26 may 25 may 23 may 22 may 21 may 20 may 19 may 18 may 16 may 15 may 14 may 13 may

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