Vasfije Krasniqi Goodman, a Kosovo Albanian and a prominent advocate against wartime sexual violence, has arrived in Israel as a guest of Shurat Hadin, a women-led non-governmental organization dedicated to combatting terrorism and antisemitism.
Her visit, scheduled between February 5 and 8, aimed to witness Hamas's atrocities, show solidarity with Israeli victims and demand justice for victims of sexual assaults perpetrated by Hamas' "Nukhba" terrorists.
Krasniqi addressed her upcoming visit to Israel, saying, "I feel honored and privileged to answer Shurat HaDin's call to come to Israel to show my support and my sympathy to the victims of Hamas' crimes. It was completely unfair that the international community has turned its back to Israeli women and men who fell victims to such terrible crimes for so much time."
"I would have wished to believe that we have come a long way since Kosovo and was devastated to witness this apathy, the ignorance and insensitivity towards these crimes," she continued . "I want to make it clear that perpetrators of such assaults are War Criminals and should be brought to justice."
"I also want to make it clear that no organization that commits sexual violence or allows such to happen should be legitimized or allowed to maintain power over any population. People that are capable of such atrocities are a risk to their own citizens as much as they are to others".
Krasniqi's journey began in tragedy at the age of 16 when she was abducted from her village in Kosovo and subjected to rape by two Serb police officers. She was the first survivor of sexual violence in the Kosovo War to tell her story.
In 2021, Kosovo's President declared April 14, the day of Krasniqi's assault, as the "Day of Sexual Violence Survivors" in Kosovo. Today, she serves as a member of Kosovo's Parliament and continues her advocacy as a leading human rights activist.
During her visit, Krasniqi engaged in several significant meetings and site visits. She met with the head of the Knesset's Committee for Women's Rights Pnina Tamanu Shata, and other lawmakers to discuss strategies for combating sexual violence.
Additionally, she visited southern Israeli cities on the Gaza border and the 'Nova' festival site, where the attacks occurred, to witness firsthand the impact of Hamas' attack on Israeli communities.
Nitsana Darshan Leitner, founder and president of Shurat Hadin, commended Krasniqi's bravery for triumphing what she went through, as well as deciding to visit Israel during a war.
"It took months for the international community to even begin to face the terrible truth of the events of October 7,| Darshan Leitner said. "But more importantly, we still do not see decisive actions by governments, the UN, women's rights organizations, the International Red Cross, and other organizations against Hamas, which is still holding Israeli hostages that we know are being assaulted in captivity as we speak," she said. "We hope that Vasfije's visit will help raise awareness about these atrocities, the need to prosecute Hamas Nukhba terrorists for the War Crimes of sexual assault, and to the need to uproot Hamas rapists from Gaza."