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Racism in Israel Part 3: Ethiopian Israeli Abducted By Hamas in 2014, A Netanyahu Scandal Swept Under The Rug

Racism in Israel Part 3: Ethiopian Israeli Abducted By Hamas in 2014, A Netanyahu Scandal Swept Under The Rug

Last updated on: June 24, 2023 at 1:16 pm by Judith Lungen

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Racism in Israel Part 3: Ethiopian Israeli Abducted By Hamas in 2014, A Netanyahu Scandal Swept Under The Rug 2023-06-24T13:16:25+03:00 Judith Lungen

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A 2018 poster of Ethiopian born Israeli citizen, Abraham “Avera” Mengistu. The young man with a long history of mental instability was abducted by Hamas along the Gaza/Israel border on September 7, 2014. Avera’s parents, family and friends have faced years of Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu lies, broken promises and racist neglect. (Photo Credit: Stand By Us)

Abraham “Avera” Mengistu, an Ethiopian-born Israeli civilian held captive by Hamas in Gaza since 2014

Born in Ethiopia in August 1986, Avera was five years old when he arrived in Israel with his parents and nine siblings.

The Mengistu family lived in a low-income, desperately underprivileged Ethiopian ghetto in the city of Ashkelon. The city is located about 12 miles north of the Gaza Strip.

According to civil rights activist Tal Harris, the Mengistu family belonged to the lowest, most neglected and poorest sector of Israeli society.

In 2011, with the untimely death of his oldest brother Masrashau, 25 year old Avera displayed signs of deep grief, anguish and mental health problems.

In January 2013, he voluntarily entered a mental health facility in Beer Sheva where he remained for 12 days.

And in March 2013, Avera was declared unfit to serve in the Israeli army and received a full exemption.

Employed in menial jobs and tasks, Avera was unable to hold down a job. He often asked friends and family for money and traveled alone, disappearing for days.

Agurnesh Mengistu, born in Ethiopia, arrived in Israel with her husband and 10 children in 1991. While her husband was unable to find work, Agurnesh cleaned houses to provide for her family. In 2011, after the death of her oldest son, the tragedy triggered depression and mental health problems for her fourth child, Avera. Nine years ago on September 7, 2014 when Avera walked into the Gaza Strip, Agurnesh and her family have worked tirelessly to bring her son back from Hamas captivity. (Photo Credit: Screenshot from Israeli Channel 12 news interview aired on January 17, 2023)

On September 7, 2014 Avera asked his mother Agurnesh for money. She said no.

Avera stormed out of the house carrying a knapsack.

It was the last time his mother Agurnesh or anyone else in his family has seen Avera.

Walking south along the seaside, Avera eventually arrived at a security check point between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Israeli military patrol were foolishly and irresponsibly racist. Without checking identification, thinking he was a non-Israeli, non-Jewish Sudanese refugee returning home to Gaza, the Israeli military patrol let Avera pass through.

Years of relentless lies, deceit and racism

Over the next 10 months between September 2014 and July 2015, Israeli officials under the government of Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu placed a gag order on the incident.

However, leaks of Avera’s abduction found their way into European social media and news outlets.

In July 2015, through the efforts of Haaretz, a well respected if not controversial, daily Israeli newspaper (printed and published online in Hebrew and English) the gag order was finally lifted.

Here are just five headlines through the years that hide the corruption, lies and deceit emanating from the Prime Minister’s Office under the Bibi Netanyahu regimes.

Just a few of the disturbing headlines throughout the years. Top left: Jerusalem Post, July 2015. Bibi’s false statement would be revealed in January 2023. Top right: YNET news service, April 2018. Avera Mengistu’s family continue their demonstrations outside Bibi’s official prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem. Middle Left: 2015 article in YNET. Bibi’s administration mouth piece, Lior Lotan lies and intimates the Mengistu family. A January 2023 report by the State’s Comptroller would reveal Bibi’s appointed ‘Negotiating Representatives’ did absolutely nothing. Middle Right: March 2019 from the Ethiopian newspaper, The Daily Sabah. The headline needs no explanation (Photo Credit: Reuters) Bottom Center: The Jewish Chronicle, January 2023. A full expose with a link to video footage allegedly of Avera released by Hamas. Jewish Chronicle Full Article January 2023

Seriously, the Jerusalem Post?

Racism continues to persist in Israel. It even permeates the well-established, often right-wing English language newspaper and online news service, the Jerusalem Post.

Below is a sub-headline from a May 2021 article that clearly labels Avera Mengistu as a mentally ill black boy. At the time, the Jerusalem Post’s editor-in-chief was Yaakov Katz, the journalist Sarah Chemla.

Photo of Avera’s mother, Agurnesh at a demonstration alongside the Jerusalem official residence of Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu. The photo is from a Jerusalem Post article published on May 19, 2021. Avera Mengistu, an Ethiopian born Israeli civilian is labeled a mentally ill ‘black boy.’ (Photo Credit: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post).

Comptroller uncovers the scandalous years of deception, fraudulent lies and lack of commitment

The Iranian supported, Gaza based Hamas terror organization is holding two living Israeli citizens: Ethiopian Jew, Avera Mengistu (2014) and and Israeli Bedouin, Hisham al-Sayed (2015).

Hamas is also in possession of the remains of two IDF soldiers: Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin. Both young men were killed during the 2014 Summer 50-days of “conflict.”

Since 2014 there have been two Bibi Coalition Appointed Negotiators for their return:

Lior Lotan from 2014 through 2017
Yaron Blum 2017 – 2022 (Blum resigned in October 2022)

In January 2023, State Comptroller, Matanyahu Englman released his investigative findings concerning the role of the Negotiator. The damning report was published in numerous Israeli news outlets including the Times of Israel (published online in English, Hebrew, French, Arabic and Persian).

The Times of Israel headline states: “Comptroller slams undefined role of Israeli negotiator for release of Gaza captives.” Comptroller Exposes Bibi’s Deceit

State Comptroller Englman’s report uncovered and proved the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) years of deception, fraudulent lies and lack of commitment concerning negotiations with Hamas for the release of Israel’s living captives and return of the two soldier’s remains.

Bibi’s coalitions never acted in good faith

Comptroller Englman revealed that both negotiators, Lior Lotan and Yaron Blum operated “over the years without the Prime Minister’s Office ever actually establishing the responsibilities, authority or any detailed framework of the role.”

Bibi never implemented recommendations made by the 2012 Shamgar Commission, which set out to determine principles for prisoner releases
Between 2014 and 2023 there has been only ONE security cabinet meeting which was held in June 2014 to discuss the recommendations
There were no further discussions nor recommendations by the government, the [security] cabinet or any other committee of ministers regarding the Shamgar Committee’s recommendations

Equally as disturbing:

Information the PMO held concerning the Negotiator’s work was not handled in an orderly fashion
Negotiator Yaron Blum had ‘minimal’ information about his predecessor’s work
There was no formal framework for the Negotiator’s connection with the families of Israeli captives

Meantime Yaron Blum, Bibi’s negotiator from 2017 – 2022 received a salary of NIS 50,000 (about US$14,000) per month.

Throughout these nine years there have been several major opportunities to work with Egypt who has negotiated truces between Israel and Hamas.

Specifically, there were two Bibi War of Diversion in the Spring of 2021 and the Spring of 2023 where Avera, Hisam and the remains of the two IDF soldiers could have been returned to Israel.

Instead, the scandal is swept under the Bibi Rug of Deception and Lies.

Epilogue

I chose to focus on Avera Mengistu this week when I ‘coincidently’ fell upon this sentence:

“Whoever saves a single life is considered by Scripture to have saved the whole world, because we are created in the image of God.” Talmud Sanhedrin 4:1 (22A)

Too many of our rabbis, leaders and politicians have been seduced by greed, power and corruption and they’ve turned their backs on one of the most essential guiding lights of Judaic integrity.

to be continued….

I have not forgotten the two Ethiopian Israeli young men, Yehuda Biadga and Solomon Teka who were both shot and killed by Israeli police in 2019. I will return to their story in a future blog.

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