A new political party named Tzedek (Justice) has been formed that will be running in Israel’s upcoming elections in September reports Srugim. The party is headed by Avi Yalo, a leader of last month’s Ethiopian/Israeli protests. Many of those protests devolved into violent riots following the death of Salomon Tekah.

What’s lurking in the background

But while the party may at first glance seem like a grassroots effort, or as Yalo said in an interview, a party that will “return justice to the Knesset”, it’s true intentions could be far more sinister.

At least that’s what Yair Netanyahu, son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes.

Prince Netanyahu weighs in

After hearing about the party’s formation, Netanyahu took to Twitter saying: “Basically, this was all part of the big plan behind the riots that were orchestrated by the New Israel Fund. They know that the overwhelming majority of our Ethiopian brothers are right-wing. So they establish a straw-man political party to waste votes that would have otherwise have gone to right-wing parties.”

בקיצור זאת הייתה המטרה של כל המהומות שאירגנה הקרן החדשה. הם יודעים שרוב מוחלט מאחינו עולי אתיופיה הם ימנים. אז מקימים מפלגת קש שתזרוק קצת קולות ימנים לפח (כאילו לא מספיק מאות אלפי הקולות הימנים שילכו לפח על מפלגות ימין שלא יעברו את אחוז החסימה) https://t.co/LAkWcEvCbF

— Yair Netanyahu (@YairNetanyahu) August 1, 2019

A logical conclusion

Yair Netanyahu might be saying this due to the fact that most of the party’s officials are associated with the New Israel Fund.

In fact, many of the party’s top decision makers aren’t even Ethiopian like Saliman Amoor, who was the deputy chief of AJEEC-NISPED, an organization that promotes peace-building among Bedouin communities in transition. The organization is backed by Shatil, the New Israel Fund’s Initiative for Social Change.

Another top party official is Ishak Saporta, a board member of Adva Center for equality research in Israel. The Adva Center is also backed by the NIF.

Also high on Tzedek’s list is Dr. Yulia Zemlinsky, who is the executive director of the organization Morashtenu (Our heritage).  The New Israel Fund backed organization “promotes progressive ideals with the Russian-speaking community”.

Yoav Lalum, another non-Ethiopian Haredi party official heads an organization called Noar K’Halacha. The organization was, also a grantee of the NIF.

Even the party’s leader, Avi Yalo, participated in the ‘Socialists Convention‘ in 2015. The event was hosted by the Committee for Workers International (CWI), a radical socialist organization that promotes Trotskyism.

Too inclusive for comfort?

Yalo did add that the party is “not only for Ethiopians but all minorities in Israeli society that are marginalized”. The party leader also said that the party was, among other members of Israeli society, “comprised of Arabs”.