Israel is often portrayed as a racist country by the mainstream media. The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA), a media watchdog, caught an “error” from the UK’s BBC that could lead one to the impression that Israel discriminates against its Ethiopian minority. The article in question, from May 15th, “Israel gets first Ethiopia-born minister, in Pnina Tamano-Shata,” suggested that Tamano-Shata was the first Ethiopian member of Knesset.
However, Tamano-Shata is not even close to the first Ethiopian Israeli MK. She is actually the 8th Ethiopian Israeli to serve in Israel’s Knesset. Ethiopian Israelis have been members of Knesset beginning in 1996. But what does the BBC care, as long as it succeeds in convincing the world that Israel discriminates against people of color.