Israeli police were bracing for another day of violent protests Wednesday after community activists called for renewed street demonstrations in response to the killing of an Ethiopian-Israeli teen by an off-duty police officer.
As crowds of protesters gathered in cities across Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged calm and said he was convening a ministerial committee to discuss “all issues” affecting Israel’s Ethiopian community, which suffers from poverty and discrimination and accuses the police of excessive force.
“We will discuss all issues but we will also discuss something that is unacceptable,” he said. “We are not prepared to either accept or tolerate the blocking of roads and the use of violence, including firebombs against our forces, the burning of cars or any other property of citizens.”
Police were deployed at demonstration sites throughout the country.
On Tuesday, protesters blocked major highways around the country, snarling traffic for hours. They also attacked police and vandalized vehicles in response to what they see as continued police brutality.