Thousands of women plan to strike over violence, government inaction

Dozens of women’s groups have announced their intention to hold a strike next Tuesday in protest of the societal plague of violence against women.

Thousands of women have indicated their intention to strike — on a Facebook page set up for that purpose — after two murders of teens this week brought the number of female victims since the beginning of the year to 24.

“We came to the conclusion that we have to take drastic, wide-reaching and united action by women demanding a solution,” organizer Stav Arnon told the Ynet news website. “Last year NIS 250 million were earmarked for countering violence against women, but the government is delaying the funds and so far less than 10 percent have been provided.”

On the strike’s Facebook page, the organizer said: “The cries of women are being buried under the silence of the government, which refuses to take responsibility and change the reality. Time and again programs are buried, victims are ignored and half of the population is left unsafe.”

They said murder was only the most extreme manifestation of harassment and discrimination suffered by women in the public arena.

“If you’re a woman, you’re in. If you’re a man, join in,” they said.

Several protests were expected throughout the country on Friday. Protests took place this week in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Beersheba and other locations.

“When the government delays funds intended for women’s shelters and help centers, shoots down proposals for a special parliamentary committee to treat the issue, when police neglect complaints and closes cases without trial — they are contributing to the widening of the phenomenon,” said activist Hadeel Azam of Nazareth.

On Sunday hundreds of demonstrators decried violence against women and sexism at a Tel Aviv rally, in an event marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

The demonstrators, including MKs Merav Michaeli, Tamar Zandberg, and Tzipi Livni, denounced misogyny and called for government action to halt the murder and abuse of women in Israel.

Then, on Monday, 16-year-old Yara Ayoub was found murdered in her Galilee hometown of Jish, six days after she went missing. Police have identified the primary suspect in the murder as a 28-year-old man from the village, and have arrested several others suspected of involvement.

Many of the details of the investigation, including the identities of the suspects, are under a court-ordered gag order for fear that their publication could hinder the investigation.

Less than a day later a 13-year-old girl, Sylvana Tsegai, was raped and murdered in Tel Aviv, allegedly by her mother’s partner Tesfebarhan Tesfasion, who evaded police for several days before being caught.

According to reports, Tsegai had been known to welfare authorities as a victim of domestic violence. She reportedly called police on Saturday to complain about Tesfasion being in her home.

On Sunday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, visited a women’s shelter in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu said he and Sara were “unsettled” by their visit; he told ministers he was surprised to learn that “almost nothing” was done to domestic abusers. Netanyahu said the uptick in violence against women in Israel in recent years was “a criminal phenomenon” and called for stricter enforcement. He announced he would chair a new ministerial committee dedicated to combating domestic violence.