PM pushes for NIS 295m. national plan to save Arab-Israeli women lives

A new national program includes the creation of educational programs in Islamic schools and a gender-balanced council of religious leaders and academics.

By HAGAY HACOHEN
Updated: DECEMBER 20, 2018 15:53
Women block the entrance to the city at the David's Harp Bridge in Jerusalem as they protest against violence against women, following the murders of two young women in the past week, in Jerusalem, on December 4, 2018 (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Women block the entrance to the city at the David's Harp Bridge in Jerusalem as they protest against violence against women, following the murders of two young women in the past week, in Jerusalem, on December 4, 2018
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Israel is set to launch a comprehensive NIS 295 million nation-wide program to tackle the complex issue of violence against women in Arab society in Israel. The plan is directed by Social Equality Minister Gila Gamier, who presented the plan to the cabinet on Wednesday after being asked to lead it by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Named “The Killer Punch,” the program calls for the integration of Arab-Israeli men and women in the police force, creating and teaching high school programs in Arabic that deal with gender equality, the creation of a gender-balanced council of religious leaders and academics who will promote religious views that oppose violence, and an end to the former unspoken practice of “looking the other way” regarding honor killings in Arab culture.
Murder rates among Arab-Israelis, who are a minority in Israel, are much higher than the Jewish majority. Between 2014- 2016, over half of those suspected of committing murders were Arab. Arabs also have the majority in illegal carrying of firearms, Walla reported.
Women in particular bear the brunt of violence in Arab societies.
Amal Zabark, a pregnant Arab-Israeli woman, was shot alongside her husband Gadoah in the city of Lod last weekend when they were on their way to pick up their 15-year-old son.
The killing is allegedly crime-related and riots broke out in the street the two resided in when news of their killing was made public.
In the case of battered women, Israel currently has 14 shelters serving Jewish women fleeing from violence, two shelters for Arab women, and no shelters for Bedouin Arab women, which is a highly traditional sect.
The debate about the staggering usage of violence among Arab-Israelis includes cultural, social, and political arguments.
“The numbers of Arab women who are murdered is much higher than their numbers in general society,” Gamier said. “This reality is unacceptable.”