Beaten Ethiopian-Israeli soldier sues police for 100,000 USD

An Ethiopian-Israeli soldier who has been beaten by Israeli policemen is filing a suit for a compensation of some 390,000 shekels (about 100,000 U.S. dollars,) Israel's Channel 2 TV reported on Tuesday.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday with the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court, cites frequent incidents of police violence against the Ethiopian community in Israel, mainly against its youths, and accuses the police's top command for inaction to eradicate the phenomenon.

"This lawsuit is, in fact, a serious indictment against ... the Israel Police and its racial and violent organizational culture," read the lawsuit.

Last month 19-year-old Damas Pakada was beaten by two policemen without any apparent provocation. The beating was recorded by CCTV and sparked a string of rocky rallies by Ethiopian Jews in protest against racism and police brutality. The policemen were suspended and later fired.

After Ethiopian Israelis rallied throughout the country, including big cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week set up a ministerial committee "to eradicate" discrimination against the community.

Jews from Ethiopia arrived in Israel in two waves of immigration in 1984 and 1991. The community of about 125,500 people has struggled to integrate into the Israeli society, but with little success.

Many of them live in impoverished areas in Israel. According to the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews, they earn 40 percent less than average Israelis, and 38.5 percent of them live under the poverty line, while the general rate stands at 14.3 percent. Endit