Violence Against Palestinian Women a Jewish Response
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Violence Against Palestinian Women A Jewish Response s someone who identifies as both a cultural and spiri- physical, emotional and sexual abuse of Jewish women. This tual Jew, I often reflect on my early JewishfZionist silence pervades the synagogues, the auxiliary "sisterhoods," and education. As a child, I was taught that the Israeli flag certainly the public discourse of North American Jewish life. Asymbolizes two very important concepts: the Star of Fighting the scourge of anti-semitism is considered respectable David celebrates the victory of David against Goliath -the weak work. Advocating on behalf of the legal rights of orthodox against the strong; the two blue horizontal stripes are a reference battered women, for example, is considered "divisive." to the tallit, the ritual prayer shawl worn traditionally by The "not in my house" myth is also used to deny the numerous Jewish men. social ills present in Israeli society. North American tourists are It appears to me now, in retrospect, that the very purpose of often honifkd to discover Jewish murderers in jail, Jewish drug flags is to misrepresent the insidious power relationships inher- addicts in detox centres and Jewish homeless begging in the ent in the nature of the nation state. Flags make political state- central bus station in Tel Aviv. Some North American Jews of ments and deceptive comparisons, and distort reality. The cher- European descent blame these less desirable aspects of Israeli life ished Canadian maple leaf, for example, makes invisible the on the "oriental" influence. "Those shvartzes are the hookers" many trees clear-cut by multinational corporations and the sub- one Ashkenazi woman told me, in reference to some Moroccan sequent destruction of aboriginal lands. Jewish women standing on a street corner. The woman comment- Today, the Star of David is a symbol of oppression to Palestini- ing did not seem to notice their white-skinned male clientele.' ans. It flies above their homes as the occupying force stands, gun If we, as Jews, experience such difficulty admitting the abuse in hand, on their rooftops. The tallit is now associated with the we perpetrate against one another, how much more difficult is it vigilante settlers involved in groups like Gush Emunim (Block of then to acknowledge the horrors we perpetrate against the Pales- the Faithful) and Kach (political party of the Jewish Defense tinian people. "Violence against women" is not just about "out League), which, citing biblical references to messianic redemp there" but about "in here"3 - in our homes, in our synagogues tion, advocates a "transfer" of the Palestinian population to and Hebrew schools, and in the state we established forty-three Jordan. years ago. And what on earth does the Star of David and the tallit have to The current proposed legislation formulated by the Likud and do with violence against Palestinian women? They are symbols Agudath Yisrael (two right-wing political parties), to ban abor- of Judaism, my Judaism, used andabused to justify hatredagainst tion is yet another example of the attempts of the Israeli govern- another people. The flag of Israel does not represent me. ment to control the bodies of Israeli women. It is well known that At the egalitarian synagogue that I sometimes attend, I also if legal abortions are not permitted, illegal abortions will in- wear a prayer shawl. During the Sabbath morning prayers, there crease, and many women may die as a result. is a particular point during which each congregant lifts up their Stricter adherence to religion is only one of a number of tallit to cover and shelter their neighbour. It is a gesture of motivating factors operating in favour of the abortion bill. The spiritual communion, a meaningful Judaism. It is this aspect of "War of Demographics" as it is referred to in Israel, objectifies the tallit that I wish to take with me into the world. Jewish women as the creators and procreators of the Israeli As Jews, we often perceive of violence against women as a soldier. A poster produced by an Israeli feminist group shortly social phenomenon occurring outside our own communities. after the invasion of Lebanon in June 1982, portrays on one side, Jewish men, we insist, are neither batterers nor rapists. This ig- rows of pregnant women attached to machines and on the other, norance continues despite reports from our own social service rows of young boys shown as infant soldiers. The accompanying agencies and demands for assistance from Jewish victims of quote by Bertolt Brecht states: "You shall bear us cannon fodder; violence. so you are commanded by nature, and it is also the law." Recently, I submitted an article of my experiences as an incest Despite the massive influx of Russian Jewish immigrants, survivor to a mainstream Jewish publication. The editor stated Palestinians still comprise over 26 per cent of the total Israeli that although the piece itself was well written, the subject under population and 98 per cent of the population living in the West discussion, i.e. incest, was not relevant to the readers of his Bank and Gaza. Some regions within the pre-1967 borders also newspaper. Sexual abuse, he claimed was a rare phenomenon in have heavy concentrations of Palestinians. In fact, just recently, the Jewish community. and announcement was made in the Jerusalem Post indicating This "not in my house" myth continues to make invisible the that Jews had finally become a majority of the population in VOLUME l l. NUMBER 4 63 Galilee! As a result of these demographic volvement in the various women's or- ample, are not allowed to dig new wells considerations, Israeli women have be- ganizations. It was only due to inter- without a special license. As aresult, their comes political pawn in the hands of their national political pressure that Zahera was soil is irrigated inadequately and the own government. Nonetheless, if Jewish fiiyreleased from house arrest. quality of their agricultural produce suf- women suffer oppression as a result of 3) Administrative Detention - Laws fers. In total, 369,275 dunams (4 miles their gender, Palestinian women suffer regarding administrative detention were equals 1 dunam) have been confiscated doubly. initially created by the British during the since the beginning of the Intifada. Feminist researcher Nahla Abdo noted Mandate(1917-1948).'Iheselawsallowed Some may claim that these effects of in a recent article, ("Women of the In- them to detain Jewish terrorists, i.e. Zion- colonialism are suffered by both Pales- tifada: Gender, Class and National Lib- ist activists, without having to actually tinian men and women. Therefore, such a eration" inRace & Class,32,4,199 1) that charge them with apwticular crime. Ironi- discussion is not properly placed within Palestinian women have a significantly cally, these same laws are now being used the context of a feminist journal. On the higher rate of Caesarean births than do to detain Palestinians without charges. contrary, feminism must redefine itself to Israeli women. She attributes this partly 4) Forced Deportations -Palestinians encompass not only the gender-specific to the government's desire to curtail the convicted of "serious" crimes can be de- realities of North American society, but number of Palestinianchildrenbeingborn. ported upon conviction. From 9 December also the national struggles of colonized Having Caesarean births limits a mother 1987, the beginning of the Intifada, through women in the so-called "Third World." to a maximum of three children. While 30 April 1991,62 people have been ex- Given this understanding of feminism, there are no statistics available on the pelled under the emergency defense regu- this commitment to the liberation of all number of children born to an average lations; 111,529 have been injured and women, it is instructive to note the spe- Palestinian family, one can safely assume 942 people have been killed.' cific ways in which the Israeli state perpe- that it is more than three. 5) University Closures - Universities trates violence against Palestinian women. Palestinian women living in the West are perceived as centres of incitement by Because Arab culture focuses almost Bank and Gaza have been under Israeli the military government and therefore obsessively on "women's honour," Is- military occupation since 1967.They have have been opened and then closed rap- raeli soldiers often terrorize Palestinian been subjected to numerous forms of idly. Gaza University is the one post sec- women, harassing them, assaulting them harassment and repression including but ondary institution still functioning regu- sexually. The soldiers hope that by threat- not limited to the following: larly. Interestingly it is also an Islamic ening to rob women of their virginity, the 1) Blanket Curfews - If the military stronghold, and is supported primarily by fathers and brothers will discourage their governor of the West Bank or Gaza de- Hamas, the Islamic FundamentalistParty. daughters, sisters and wives from being cides that there is a "security risk," he can Of course, Palestinians who wish to politically active against the Occupation. issue a blanket curfew, which means that pursue academic work in other than a re- In Neve Tine, the only women's prison all inhabitants are required, without ex- ligious setting are forced to go abroad to in Israel, as well as in Moscobiya (the ception, to remain within their homes 24 continue their studies or forego any op- "Russian Compound"), aild Hasharon hours per day until further notice. Most portunity for further education. prison and others, Pale~tinianwomen are recently, these curfews were implemented 6) Collective Punishment -If a member incarcerated under horrendous conditions. during the Gulf War. of a particular family has been convicted Felicia Langer, formerly a noted lawyer Unfortunately, emergencies occur. of any crime, the Israeli military oficials and Israeli activist, details many cases of Women have children, individuals run can and do destroy their home.