Knesset staffers protest against the dress code in the Israeli Parliament, in Jerusalem, December 14, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Israel’s parliament will ease its dress code rules, an official said Thursday, after staffers demonstrated when colleagues who wore skirts deemed too short were barred from entering the building.
Staffers say security at the Knesset, or parliament, had in recent days started to strictly enforce rules on the length of skirts without giving a reason.
On Wednesday, dozens of skirt-wearing aides gathered at the entrance to parliament in support of those who were denied entry.
After the protest, parliament speaker Yuli Edelstein met with a number of deputies as well as staffers and decided to form a joint team to examine the issue.
Edelstein’s spokesman told AFP that an agreement had been reached by which MKs would ask their aides to use discretion in their wardrobe choices, while the Knesset would ease its enforcement of the dress code.
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Knesset staffers protest against the dress code in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem, December 14, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Speaking on military radio, Edelstein said that the dress code has been in place for many years.
It has been enforced more closely since the end of October, he said, as a result of mounting complaints regarding inappropriate attire, of both men and women.
The code prohibits T-shirts, shorts, sandals and short dresses or skirts.
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