The Deadly Conflict Israel Does Not See

by Yeshewa Michael

Deadly ethnic conflict. Kidnapped civilians. Drone strikes. Crackdown on political dissent. Sounds familiar? But this is not a description of the news in Israel; Israelis are not alone in witnessing the fabric of their lives torn apart. All this is happening right now in the Amhara region in Ethiopia – and Ethiopian asylum seekers currently in Israel are fleeing a looming civil war and spiraling humanitarian conflict. They must be given legal protection.

Amhara, a major region of Ethiopia, is currently torn apart by a deadly conflict between government troops and militias. Rising tension between the government and the regime-backed Amhara political elite in the area fueled the violence, which obscures the deeper causes of instability—grievances stemming from marginalization on the political and economic front. The result has been armed government troops murdering and kidnapping civilians and destroying the Amhara region. In one of the worst incidents, on Jan. 29 in Merawi, a small town in the Amhara region, the Ethiopian National Defense Forces murdered dozens of civilians, according to national and international human rights groups and media reports. The government denies targeting civilians, but these killings were reportedly motivated by revenge, following a bloody confrontation with so-called Fano fighters—Amhara combatants who have been fighting government forces since August 2023. This new and increasingly bloody conflict in Amhara is exacerbated by both the tense stalemate in the Tigray region, where famine-like conditions and starvation-induced deaths have been reported, and armed confrontation, kidnappings, and regular travel disruptions in the Oromia region.

Israelis have to understand the reality in Ethiopia, and Israel has to honor its international commitments and provide group protection to Ethiopian refugees in Israel.  These people are here because they are mortally afraid—of harassment, murder, and kidnap. Israelis, of all people, should understand and empathize.

On October 8, the day after the horrific attack by Hamas, the Ethiopian asylum seekers here came together to support Israelis, volunteering and pooling their resources to aid those in a terrible plight. The solidarity they have shown Israel in its time of need should be reciprocated at the least by the bare minimum of protection from a murderous ethnic conflict.

The author of this article is Ethiopian by birth and has spent more than 20 years as a resident of Israel. He is part of the ARDC community working to make Israel a better place for refugees and asylum seekers.