Tsega Melaku (; born 1968) is an Israeli author, journalist, community activist and politician currently serving as a member of the Knesset for Likud. She is the former director of Kol Yisrael's Reshet Aleph ("Network A") radio station.Tamar Pileggi, "Ethiopian-born Tsega Melaku joins Kahlon's party", Times of Israel, 12 January 2015. Melaku was disqualified from running in Israel's 2015 election with the Kulanu party for failing to complete her cooling-off period from government service, where it was believed she could become a Member of the Knesset.Niv Elis, "Kahlon to enlist Ethiopian Israeli Tsega Melaku for Koolanu", The Jerusalem Post, 11 January 2015. She then became an MK in 2023 after running with Likud in the previous year's election.
She attended Bar-Ilan University, where she earned a BA in Political Science and Sociology. Then, while studying at Touro College in Jerusalem for her MA in business, she was one of the first Keren Hanan Aynor scholarship recipients. Board of Directors , Keren Hanan Aynor, 12 January 2015.
She is a community activist in Israel's Ethiopian community. She was active in 1996 protests against Magen David Adom's policy on Ethiopian blood donations, following the publication of a news story which revealed that blood from Ethiopian Israelis was thrown away due to fears it would contain HIV. Melaku works on behalf of several non-profit organizations that promote higher education for Ethiopian immigrants.
When he announced her candidacy for the Knesset, Moshe Kahlon, the Kulanu party leader, called her a woman of "fortitude and strong will". Melaku articulated her reasons for embracing a political career, which include the corruption and racism she has witnessed: "Until today, everywhere I go, one question follows me: 'Miss, I need my house cleaned twice a week. Are you free for cleaning?'", Melaku said. "Today, I say, 'Yes, I'm free to clean up. Not houses, but corruption. I'm ready to clean up opacity, to clean up seeing others as inferior because of their name, their accent, their skin colour."
After Melaku's candidacy was announced, Judge Salim Joubran, Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, ruled that as a former broadcaster for the Reshet Aleph radio, Melaku would be disqualified from candidacy in the upcoming elections because she did not complete the 100-day "cooling-off" period since leaving her broadcasting job. The party disagreed with the decision, noting that her position as a manager was not a senior appointment and that the hiatus regulation should therefore not apply. "Kulanu's Number 3 Man Disqualified from Election List", The Yeshiva World, 27 January 2015.
In February 2016, the Israeli Justice Ministry announced that the Israeli government had formed a new inter-ministerial task force to examine racism against Ethiopian-Israelis. The purpose is to create effective tools and methods to combat discrimination. There are three sub-teams within the task force, and Melaku will lead the one focused on raising public awareness of racism and enhancing the visibility of Ethiopian-Israeli Jews in the public sphere. Israel Sets Up Task Force To Tackle Racism Against Ethiopian Jews All African Network, 25 February 2016
In 2022, ahead of that year's legislative election, Melaku was given the 37th spot on Likud's electoral list by Benjamin Netanyahu. She was not elected to the Knesset as the party won 32 seats, but subsequently entered the Knesset on 9 February 2023 as a replacement for Ofir Akunis, who resigned under the Norwegian Law.
|
|