Ethiopian Jews blame Israeli racism for discrimination and price tag graffiti in Kiryat Malakhi

Thousands of Ethiopian Jews protested in Kyriat Malachi, a small town in southern Israel, after some residents in the town agreed not to sell or rent housing to the Ethiopians. Hate graffiti reading "Ethiopian price tag" -- a reference to recent nationalist violence against non-Jewish Israelis and Palestinians -- was spray-painted on walls and vehicles in the area. The Ethiopians are also saying their children are suffering from constant discrimination.

Israeli ministers seem to understand the problem. Deputy Speaker of the Knesset Shlomo Molla had this to say, "I think what we are looking [at] here today is thousands of Ethiopians saying here [to] the Israeli society: no [..] discrimination, no [..] racism. All of us, we came here to Israel to be equal with the Israeli society."

Forty years ago, Israel's chief rabbis determined that Ethiopian Jews were descendants of the Jewish biblical tribe of Dan and were entitled to immigrate to Israel. Since then a steady wave of Ethiopian Jews has been making aliyah and moving to Israel.

However, the 110,000-strong Ethiopian community in Israel has long complained of prejudice against them. The government recently reduced the number of Ethiopian Jews it allows into the country which incited mass protests. There have also been complaints that Jewish schools have not allowed Ethiopians into their classrooms.

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