Ethiopian ambassador threatens diplomatic crisis after police accost monks
Video footage shows police rudely addressing, evicting Ethiopian monks from Jerusalem complex; elderly monk said injured
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporter
The Ethiopian ambassador to Israel, Tsegay Berha Hadera, warned Monday that the forced eviction by police of Ethiopian monks from a complex owned by the Ethiopian church in Jerusalem could spark a diplomatic crisis if not addressed immediately.
Amateur video footage aired by Channel 10 news showed police turning up last week at the complex on Jerusalem’s Heleni Hamalka Street, rudely addressing the monks, ordering them out of the building and trying to arrest one of them.
Police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld told The Times of Israel that the officers came to investigate a suspected burglary near the complex, and asked the monks for identification. When they didn’t provide it, he said, police accused the monks of trespassing.
“If you don’t show me identification, you don’t own the place. Now everyone get out,” one officer said in footage of the incident seen by The Times of Israel.
The complex houses an Ethiopian church and two early 20th century buildings originally designed as apartments for Ethiopian pilgrims.
The buildings have almost always been rented out, most recently to the Israel Broadcasting Authority’s radio service.
כך הוציאה המשטרה בכוח נזירים מהכנסייה האתיופית בירושלים • @Yossi_eli עם התיעוד המלא >> https://t.co/PL1txseUAg pic.twitter.com/ITfmifADin
— חדשות 13 (@newsisrael13) June 4, 2018
The oldest monk, 84, reportedly needed medical treatment after being thrown to the ground.
Channel 10 reported that police locked the complex, even though the monks had provided the documentation to prove the church owned the buildings.
The complex was being protected by security guards.
A police statement said, “It’s not at all clear how criminal behavior such as this, which included cursing and violence toward the police and refusal of arrest according to the law, have changed into a torrent so slanted against the truth. One of those involved resisted arrest and injured a police officer on the hand.”
Michael Bachner contributed to this report.
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