by Benjamin Kerstein
September 18, 2019 4:36 pm
Police guard next to protesters during a demonstration in Jerusalem against the death of 18-year-old Solomon Tekah of Ethiopian descent, after he was shot by an off-duty policeman, July 15, 2019. Photo: Reuters / Ronen Zvulun.
Following several months of upheaval and protest, Ethiopian Israelis appeared to be leaving their traditional political home in the Likud party in Tuesday’s Knesset elections.
The Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot reported on a sharp drop in support for rightist Likud between the April and September elections in heavily-Ethiopian areas.
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In between the two elections, massive protests erupted over the shooting of 18-year-old Solomon Tekah by an off-duty police officer in Kiryat Haim, with demonstrators charging police brutality and racism directed against their community.
In the Kiryat Moshe section of the central Israeli town Rehovot, which is heavily Ethiopian, the Likud vote dropped from 53 percent to 42 percent. The centrist Blue and White party, on the other hand, saw its support rise from 13 percent to 28 percent.
Another heavily-Ethiopian neighborhood — Eliyahu in Rishon LeZion — showed similar results, with the Likud vote falling from 53 percent to 43 percent.
In the Weizman neighborhood of Kiryat Gat, which has a large number of Ethiopian residents, Likud dropped from 50 percent to 39 percent, while Blue and White more than doubled its share of the vote.
The Shoftim neighborhood saw a similar result, with Likud dropping from 49 percent to 38 percent.
In Kiryat Gat as a whole, the Likud fell from 46 percent to 38 percent. The city is seen as heavily right-wing.
One Ethiopian-Israeli from Kiryat Malachi told Yediot that she faced hostility for not supporting Likud, saying, “The number of times I’ve been called a ‘leftist’ yesterday has set new records. I even got a new nickname today: terrorist lover.”
Another Ethiopian Israel from Haifa said of changing her vote, “I hope people understand that we won’t blindly follow those who ignore our most basic demands like sheep.”
Ethiopians ditch Likud after country-wide summer protests -Ynet News 08:46
Protestors during July demonstrationsPhoto: Reuters
Analysis: Demonstrations against racism included voices calling for end to support for Likud; this downturn among traditionally Likud-voting community highlights impact of protests on political opinion within the sector, while defectors were met with hostile response from partyOrtal Mogos|Published: 09.18.19 , 15:43 Only five months have passed between the current elections and the previous ones, but during this short time period, a very significant event happened that shook Israeli society – the protests of the Ethiopian community, which erupted after 18-year-old Israeli Ethiopian Solomon Tekah was shot by an off-duty police officer in late June this year.
Even during the protest, voices were already heard among community members, claiming they will no longer vote for the Likud party and they will even try to convince their parents to do the same.
Protestors during July demonstrations (Photo: Reuters)
Did the protest affect the Ethiopian community’s voting patterns? An initial analysis of the results, after counting 63.9% of all votes, shows that it indeed has.
A prominent example would be the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood in Rehovot – a neighborhood with a high concentration of Israeli Ethiopians, which saw a very significant drop in Likud voters.
The ruling party received 53% of the neighborhood’s votes in April’s elections, but only 42% in the Tuesday vote.
Protestors during July demonstrations near Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv (Photo: Moshik Shema)
Blue and White, which has two candidates from the Ethiopian community on its list for the Knesset, saw its strength more than doubled – standing at 28% in comparison to April’s 13%.
Voter turnout in the neighborhood stands at 53%, which is significantly lower than the national voter turnout.
Likud has also saw a decline in power in the predominately Ethiopian Ramat Eliyahu neighborhood in Rishon Lezion, where Likud got only 43% of the votes as opposed to 53% in the previous elections.
Blue and White saw a rise in number of voters in this neighborhood as well, receiving 24% of the votes as opposed to 15%. Voter turnout in the neighborhood stands at 56%.
There are also many members of the Ethiopian community living in several neighborhoods in Kiryat Gat.
In Weizman neighborhood, Likud’s strength decreased from 50% to 39% and Blue and White saw a grand leap from 6.5% to 18%, thus becoming the second-largest party in the neighborhood at the expense of Shas.
Protestors during July demonstrations near Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv (Photo: Moshik Shema)
A similar drop in popularity for the Likud also occurred in HaShoftim neighborhood in Kiryat Gat, where Likud received 38% of the votes in comparison to April’s 49%, while Blue and White soared from 13% to 23%.
Likud has seen a big drop in support in Kiryat Gat overall, going from 46% in April to 38% these elections. Blue and White saw its backing increased from 7.4% to 13%.
Some Ethiopian Israelis, who decided to switch allegiance from the traditional Likud ballot, received backlash from other Likud and right-wing voters.
An Israeli Ethiopian from Kiryat Malachi in southern Israel said she was harassed during Election Day for her refusal to vote Likud.
“The number of times I’ve been called a ‘leftist’ yesterday has set new records,” she said. “I even got a new nickname today: terrorist lover.”
Some other refuse to shy away from the criticism and hope this move will improve the community’s situation.
“I hope people understand that we won’t blindly follow those who ignore our most basic demands like sheep,” an Israeli Ethiopian woman from Haifa said.
פרסום ראשון: 09.18.19, 15:43