Former anti-racism czar Aweke Kobe Zena will move to a senior position in the Public Defender’s Office overseeing Police Internal Investigations Unit affairs, settling on Wednesday a months long alleged political discrimination firing dispute with Regional Cooperation Minister Dudi Amsalem.
Zena, who supporters claim had his contract discontinued in mid-June due to a Noam party blacklist, had a compromise settlement with Amsalem validated by the Tel Aviv Regional Labor Court.
The dispute moved to the labor court after Zena petitioned the Supreme Court of Justice at the beginning of August, demanding an injunction against the Justice Ministry and civil service for an explanation for his termination.
He alleged that his firing was arbitrary and potentially motivated by extraneous considerations. The petition was rejected, as it was foremost a work dispute and other legal avenues should have been pursued before the Supreme Court.
Zena was appointed to head the Justice Ministry’s anti-racism unit in 2016, with a six-year contract and two additional optional years. The unit had been created to combat racism and discrimination in Israel following the 2015 protests by the Ethiopian community against alleged systemic racism, especially in law enforcement.
Noam party blacklist
In June, Regional Cooperation Minister David Amsalem, made a decision not to continue Zena’s contract. A spokesman said at the time that the contract had simply expired and that the move was in line with other fixed-tenure office holders.
Zena was listed in a 2019 Noam party blacklist which detailed LGBTQ+ figures in media, academics that were feminist, and other government officials perceived as problematic. Supporters of Zena argued that the ex-czar’s work exposing anti-Arab racism in addition to other forms of hate incidents led to his firing.
Zena and Amsalem’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.