Israeli Lawmaker Advocates for Global Action Against Wartime Sexual Violence

[Social Media]

 

In a determined effort to break the silence surrounding sexual violence in conflict zones, Shelly Tal Meron, a freshman lawmaker from the Yesh Atid party, has launched an initiative to establish an international coalition to combat the use of rape as a weapon of war. The initiative, known as the Global Women’s Coalition against Gender-Based Violence as a Weapon of War, aims to address the rampant sexual assaults committed during wartime, particularly spotlighting the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas.

 

During a conference held at the Knesset last week, Tal Meron highlighted the urgency of acknowledging and addressing wartime sexual violence. Opposition Leader Yair Lapid also spoke at the conference, condemning those who disregard the severe testimonies of sexual abuse by Hamas terrorists. “Throughout history, there has been a conspiracy of silence surrounding sexual violence during war,” Lapid stated. He emphasized that this silence has allowed such crimes to continue unchecked. “We came here today to cry out against silence,” he declared.

 

 

The conference, held on May 20, was packed with attendees, including delegates from various countries such as France, Ireland, Denmark, and the UK. Co-sponsored by ELNET, an organization fostering ties between Israel and Europe, the event aimed to garner international support for recognizing and combating sexual violence as a war crime. Tal Meron stressed that while international law already acknowledges sexual violence as a crime of war, there is a significant need to change cultural and political perceptions of such violations.

 

“We are declaring today the establishment of an important historical coalition, of acknowledging sexual violence as a crime of war,” Tal Meron announced. She is determined to ensure that the international community not only recognizes but actively addresses the use of sexual violence in conflicts. The catalyst for this initiative was the horrific attack by Hamas on October 7, when thousands of terrorists invaded Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 252 hostages. Among the atrocities committed were widespread sexual assaults on Israeli women. Testimonies from freed hostages revealed that women held captive in Gaza were subjected to regular sexual abuse, treated by their captors like “dolls.”

 

Israel Prize-winning international law and human rights expert Cochav Elkayam-Levy also addressed the conference, pointing out the inadequacies of current international conventions in dealing with the resurgence of gender-based violence in conflicts from the Middle East to Ukraine. Elkayam-Levy is advocating for the recognition of a new crime against humanity, which she terms “kinocide,” defined as the deliberate weaponization or destruction of families.

 

In a recent opinion piece, Elkayam-Levy and former Canadian justice minister Irwin Cotler argued that existing legal systems are ill-equipped to address the scale and brutality of Hamas’s actions. “In assessing the legal ramifications of Hamas’s actions, it becomes apparent that international criminal law lacks the specific mechanisms to confront the extent of the brutality and systematicity employed on October 7th,” they wrote.

 

Shelly Tal Meron’s drive to raise awareness and build a coalition stems from her exposure to the atrocities committed on October 7. As a fluent English speaker and former spokesperson for the Israeli Air Force, she has taken on the role of informing the international community about the crimes committed by Hamas. “I have to be the voice of women who have no voice,” Tal Meron said, recounting her travels around Europe to share the Israeli story.

 

Domestically, Tal Meron has established the Knesset caucus on victims of sexual and gender violence in the war against Hamas, co-chaired with Likud lawmaker Tsega Melaku. During a recent meeting of the caucus, concerns were raised about the possibility of hostages returning pregnant with the children of Hamas terrorists, adding another layer of trauma and complexity to their ordeal.

 

Tal Meron is working to draft domestic legislation to handle the aftermath of such crimes and is organizing another gathering in Paris to further the coalition’s efforts. She hopes to create a declaration of principles for countries to sign, committing to the fight against sexual violence in conflicts. French Minister for Gender Equality Aurore Bergé has already expressed support, stating that Israel can count on France’s determination to combat this scourge.

 

Despite the positive response from international partners, Tal Meron is critical of the response from Israeli leaders. She highlighted the disparity in the treatment of hostage families, noting that some have not received adequate support from the government. “When it comes to finances, a lot of the families of the hostages stopped working. Their whole lives stopped. They need help. They get some help. It’s not enough,” she said.

 

As Tal Meron continues to advocate for victims of wartime sexual violence, her efforts underscore the importance of international cooperation and the need for robust legal frameworks to address such heinous crimes. Through her work, she aims to ensure that the voices of victims are heard and that perpetrators are held accountable, ultimately striving to end the silence surrounding sexual violence in war.

 

Related Topics:

Chilling Confessions Father and Son Describe Sexual Crimes During Hamas Invasion

New Very Disturbing Video Released of 5 Female Hostages being abducted by Hamas on Oct 7th

Israeli nurse abducted on October 7 kidnapped by Palestinian CIVILIANS then sold to Hamas

UN finds evidence of rape on Oct. 7 and after; Israel: They tried to downplay issue

 

 

Credit: Times of Israel 2024-05-28

 

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[Purdey]

This issue has continued unabated for thousands of years. How does one stop it unless it is made a capital crime?

[Chomper Higgot]

Israel would gain a great deal of backing to this by becoming a State Party to The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

 

 

[placeholder]

It might actually be possible for Israel to take on this scourge right away without having to wait for the international community to take action. 

UN experts demand investigation into claims Israeli forces killed, raped and sexually assaulted Palestinian women and girls

 United Nations experts have called for an investigation into what they described as “credible allegations of egregious human rights violations” against Palestinian women and girls in Gaza and the West Bank by Israeli forces.

The allegations include extrajudicial killing, arbitrary detention, degrading treatment, rape and sexual violence, according to a statement by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights released on Monday. It did not detail how they did their fact-finding, but they referred to photos of female detainees in degrading circumstances reportedly taken by Israeli troops and uploaded online.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/20/middleeast/israel-hamas-un-investigation-sexual-abuse-intl/index.html

 

 

[coolcarer]

24 minutes ago, placeholder said:

It might actually be possible for Israel to take on this scourge right away without having to wait for the international community to take action. 

UN experts demand investigation into claims Israeli forces killed, raped and sexually assaulted Palestinian women and girls

 United Nations experts have called for an investigation into what they described as “credible allegations of egregious human rights violations” against Palestinian women and girls in Gaza and the West Bank by Israeli forces.

The allegations include extrajudicial killing, arbitrary detention, degrading treatment, rape and sexual violence, according to a statement by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights released on Monday. It did not detail how they did their fact-finding, but they referred to photos of female detainees in degrading circumstances reportedly taken by Israeli troops and uploaded online.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/20/middleeast/israel-hamas-un-investigation-sexual-abuse-intl/index.html

 

 

The UN has already issued a report and no incidents of rape were reported to them. Intimate body searches etc were all investigated. I suggest you go and read the report, it’s linked from the OP related links. Then you can get back on the topic here which is for “spotlighting the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas”

[placeholder]

12 minutes ago, coolcarer said:

The UN has already issued a report and no incidents of rape were reported to them. Intimate body searches etc were all investigated. I suggest you go and read the report, it’s linked from the OP related links. Then you can get back on the topic here which is for “spotlighting the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas”

I'm not going to hunt a link to a link. You provide it.

As for the topic, no it's not "spotlighting the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas". You may want that to be the topic but it actually is: "Israeli Lawmaker Advocates for Global Action Against Wartime Sexual Violence"

[coolcarer]

1 minute ago, placeholder said:

I'm not going to hunt a link to a link. You provide it.

As for the topic, no it's not "spotlighting the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas". You may want that to be the topic but it actually is: "Israeli Lawmaker Advocates for Global Action Against Wartime Sexual Violence"

Up to you. The link to the UN report is in the UN finds evidence of rape on Oct 7th and after related link topic in the OP. Nice try hyjacking the topic though

[placeholder]

13 minutes ago, coolcarer said:

Up to you. The link to the UN report is in the UN finds evidence of rape on Oct 7th and after related link topic in the OP. Nice try hyjacking the topic though

You're the one who made a claim about the link. It's up to you to provide it.

 

As for "hyjacking the topic"...

This is the topic.

"Israeli Lawmaker Advocates for Global Action Against Wartime Sexual Violence"

Ostensibly not about Hamas, per se. But all wartime sexual violence. At least that's what the Israeli women say that's what it's about. Are you insinuating that their concern is actually a ploy to spotlight Hamas crimes of sexual violence and that these women don't really care about sexual violence during wartime committed elsewhere? Is sexual violence during warfare only a crime if it's committed by Hamas fighters?

[coolcarer]

5 minutes ago, placeholder said:

You're the one who made a claim about the link. It's up to you to provide it.

 

As for "hyjacking the topic"...

This is the topic.

"Israeli Lawmaker Advocates for Global Action Against Wartime Sexual Violence"

Ostensibly not about Hamas, per se. But all wartime sexual violence. At least that's what the Israeli women say that's what it's about. Are you insinuating that their concern is actually a ploy to spotlight Hamas crimes of sexual violence and that these women don't really care about sexual violence during wartime committed elsewhere? Is sexual violence during warfare only a crime if it's committed by Hamas fighters?

The link is in the OP. That is not a claim, it is a fact. 

[placeholder]

2 minutes ago, coolcarer said:

The link is in the OP. That is not a claim, it is a fact. 

Then all you have to do to back up your claim to to copy and paste it.

[coolcarer]

2 minutes ago, placeholder said:

Then all you have to do to back up your claim to to copy and paste it.

I already told you it’s not a claim, it’s a fact. This link in the OP above. Happy to discuss in the topic provided. 

 

[Social Media]

A post has been removed that referred to the Rafah incident. This is not the topic for that. It is about "The initiative, known as the Global Women’s Coalition against Gender-Based Violence as a Weapon of War, aims to address the rampant sexual assaults committed during wartime, particularly spotlighting the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas".

 

Another off topic post also removed.

 

"Israeli Lawmaker Advocates for Global Action Against Wartime Sexual Violence"