Thousands set to strike as support grows for domestic violence protest
Over 300 institutions, municipalities, schools, and groups join in nationwide labor action Tuesday aimed at spurring action to combat violence against women
Hundreds of institutions, municipalities, schools, and organizations in Israel have joined a nation-wide strike set for Tuesday to protest authorities failure to curb the sharp increase in violence against women in Israel.
In recent days, the Knesset, the Histadrut national labor union, the national student union, the Jewish National Fund and the National Insurance Institute have joined hundreds of others backing a strike that was called last week following the murders of two teen girls.
On Monday, the opposition’s Zionist Union brought a no-confidence motion condemning the government failure to curb the violence. Coalition members boycotted the discussion and vote. A no-confidence motion needs at least 61 supporters to pass.
During the discussion, a number of activists in the stands overlooking the plenum pulled out signs and loudly protested the government inaction. Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein ordered the woman removed from the plenum.
Some 23,000 women in Israel have indicated they intend to strike on Tuesday, according to the event’s official Facebook page.
Protests and marches are set to be held across Israel to mark the strike. At 10 a.m., 24 minutes of silence will be observed in memory of the 24 women killed in domestic-violence related incidents in the last year.
Throughout the day, music and art exhibits will be displayed along Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv, and march in solidarity with the asylum seeker community will depart Levinsky Park for Rabin Square in the afternoon. The day’s protest events will culminate in a main demonstration in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square that is expected to draw thousands.
“We are striking because decision-makers must realize that actions are required, not empty words,” the organizers said in a statement on Monday that called on Israelis to take to the streets on Tuesday “to stand up to negligent indifferent and demand solutions.”
“We demand the transfer of the NIS 250 million budget promised a year and a half ago, for the emergency plan to prevent violence against women,” organizers said, and called for additional educational and rehabilitation programs to combat domestic violence.
According to organizers, over 300 institutions have expressed support for the strike, including 47 local municipalities, 11 labor unions and around 100 corporations and private businesses.
On Monday, Civil Service Commissioner Daniel Hershkowitz said that anyone who wanted to participate in the labor action could do so without being penalized by their employer.
As per Hershkowitz’s instructions, employees must be allowed to strike on Tuesday but their employers reserve the right to dock the time from accumulated vacation days. He also instructed government ministries to hold workshops and other activities to raise awareness for domestic violence on Tuesday.
On Saturday, the Tel Aviv Municipality said its female employees would be allowed to take paid leave Tuesday if they wished to observe the strike. A short time later, the municipalities of Jerusalem, Haifa, Be’er Sheva, Ramat Gan, Modi’in, Rishon LeZion made similar announcements.
Arab majority towns of Tamra, Tira, Sakhnin, Taibe, Kafr Kassem, Jaljulia and Qalansawe have also said they will participate.
According to organizers, the Rami Levy and Tiv Ta’am supermarket chains, the Fattal hotel chain, the Haaretz publishing group, Yes TV satellite company, eBay Israel, the Dizengoff Center mall, and the Superpharm pharmacy chain have also backed the strike.
Tel Aviv’s Bar Ilan University has announced it will hold a special seminar on domestic violence on Tuesday instead of regular classes. Tel Aviv University and Jerusalem’s Hebrew University have canceled some of Tuesday’s classes in support, while Beersheba’s Ben Gurion University has called for an on-campus demonstration against domestic violence.
Organizers called the strike last week in the wake of the murders of two teen girls, whose deaths brought the number of women killed in the last year in domestic violence-related incidents to 24, the highest in years. The strike was initiated by a group called “I’m a woman, I’m striking” and a “Red Flag coalition” made up of dozens of women’s groups.
On November 26, 16-year-old Yara Ayoub was found dead in her Galilee hometown of Jish, six days after she went missing, according to police. Authorities 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.
Hours later, authorities said Sylvana Tsegai, 13, was found after being raped and murdered in her Tel Aviv home, allegedly by her mother’s former 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.
At a visit to a women’s shelter on November 25, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, said they were “unsettled” by domestic violence.
Netanyahu later 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.
Netanyahu said he had voted against the Knesset proposal to establish a parliamentary commission of inquiry on violence against women because it was presented by opposition lawmakers.
The opposition floated last week’s proposal for a commission of inquiry into violence against women after the government failed to deliver a plan to address the problem, as it had promised to do several weeks ago.
There have been several protests targeting government inaction since the murders, including late Sunday when activists dyed the waters in several public fountains blood-red, including a fountain outside the Prime Minister’s Residence.
The Times of Israel Community.