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Knesset Crushes No Confidence in Government Motion over Police-black Panther Clash

May 27, 1971
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By an 84-4 vote the Knesset yesterday crushed a no-confidence motion against the government introduced by the pro-Moscow Rakach (Communist) faction ever last week’s street fighting in Jerusalem between police and Israel’s self-styled Black Panthers. The motion had the support of only Rakach, the pro-Israel Maki (Communist) faction and half of the two-man Haolam Hazeh faction. Police Minister Shlomo Hillel denied charges of police brutality and alleged that the moving force behind the Panthers was “New Left extremists.” He also accused foreign journalists of paying Panthers to demonstrate. The six hours of rioting erupted last Tuesday when police used force to prevent Panthers from spreading their demonstration beyond the limits approved in their police permit. The Black Panthers are slum youth, mainly of North African and Asian origin, who have been protesting alleged discrimination against Oriental Jews in housing, employment and education. Hillel claimed that a quarter of those arrested were neither Panthers nor of Oriental origin. He said that fact confirmed his belief that New Leftists were behind the demonstrations.

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