Thousands of Ethiopians protest in southern town against perceived bias and racism among landlords renting housing • Signs say, "Our blood isn't only good for wars" • Knesset to hold emergency session of Absorption Committee.
Shlomo Diaz, Edna Adato and Yael Branovsky

Some 2,500 Israelis of Ethiopian descent demonstrated on Tuesday in the southern town of Kiryat Malachi against perceived racism, calling attention to a spate of recent refusals to rent apartments to Ethiopians on Rabbi Pinto Street. Marching protesters clashed with neighborhood residents and later continued on to city hall brandishing signs saying, "Racism is the devil" and "Our blood isn't only good for wars."

Rahamim Adana, an Ethiopian commander in the IDF reserves, said, "Regretfully, to be an Ethiopian in Israel is to be the other, weaker and excluded. I call on the prime minister, the president and the Knesset – it is up to them to take a stance and publicly condemn the phenomenon of racism spreading in our land."

Meanwhile, police continue to investigate the vandalism of 18 cars on Rabbi Pinto Street. They suspect that the perpetrators are Ethiopians seeking revenge for acts of racism against them. Police also investigated allegations that property owners put clauses in their purchase agreements barring them from re-selling apartments to Ethiopians, but did not find enough evidence to convict anyone or make any arrests.

Kiryat Malchi Mayor Moti Malha said, "I am delighted that Ethiopian residents decided to demand what they deserve."

Meanwhile, Culture and Sport Minister Limor Livnat submitted a request to Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein to examine whether refusals to rent apartments to citizens of Ethiopian descent is a criminal offense.

The Knesset Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs will conduct an emergency meeting on the matter on Wednesday morning. Committee chairman MK Danny Danon, who called for the meeting, said, "We will not allow any authority or local committee to discriminate between one Jew and another. I have called this meeting so as not to allow a small handful of hooligans to cause an entire population to feel as if they are second-class citizens in this country."

MK Shlomo Molla, who was present at the demonstration, said, "People don't understand that Ethiopian immigrants are not playing games. So long as the system doesn't accept them, this struggle will not end. I hope that we will eventually reach equality."