Opinion column by the Israeli ambassador to Chile, Gil Artzyeli, published in Cooperativa.cl
A UN mission, led by the special representative on sexual violence in conflict, Pramila Patten, revealed this week that there are “reasonable grounds to believe that sexual violence occurred in several locations in the October 7 attacks” and that additionally there is “clear and convincing information” of sexual violence against Israeli women who remain kidnapped in Gaza.
This report adds to an investigation published in the New York Times, which revealed that the attacks perpetrated by Hamas against Israeli women were not isolated events, but part of a broader plan to put gender violence at the service of the ideology of the terror.
Unfortunately, due to the magnitude of the barbarity, on October 7, the police did not concentrate on collecting semen samples, requesting autopsies or closely examining the crime scenes, because the priority was placed on neutralizing the terrorists, rescuing the hostages and identify the victims. And because according to Jewish tradition, funerals are carried out as soon as possible, many bodies with signs of sexual assault were buried without medical examinations, meaning that much evidence of abuse and rape is underground.
Despite this, the stories of the survivors and the images recorded by Hamas are more than enough to identify the intentions of this brutal and repulsive strategy of the Palestinian terrorists. Indeed, these acts of sexual savagery unprecedented in modern history were perpetrated as a war tactic to dehumanize women.
Therefore, those who have tried to justify what happened due to an alleged “occupation” of Gaza will drown in the swamp of immorality, first because Israel completely abandoned this territory in 2005, second because no political dispute can be used to explain the genocidal operation. of Hamas, and third because the defense of sexual and physical abuse committed against people of all genders and ages is simply disgusting.
The principals and perpetrators of the sexual aberrations of 7-10 acted with planning and premeditation, and in fact acts of rape and abuse were among their “operational priorities” from the beginning.
The terrorists knew that, in the Jewish religion, as well as in Islam and Christianity, a woman's body has a special sanctity status. But that mattered to us, on the contrary, they used it to multiply the effect of the massacre. This reflects the level of moral deformation of the Palestinian terrorists, who not only deeply despise the life and dignity of human beings who do not belong to their worldview, but also lower the status of women to its minimum expression, to being a mere sexual object. But this is not new. The Founding Charter of Hamas calls for the extermination of Jews anywhere in the world, and under this predicament the terrorists of 7-10 considered that the rape of Jewish women was a Muslim religious obligation and also an act in favor of the Palestinian cause.
Although Israel was the victim of this genocidal attack, there are those who in the name of “human rights” deny Israel's right to defend its citizens. This position, in addition to being absolutely inconsistent, empowers the terrorists who have already expressed their intention to repeat the massacre.
The ignominy is even more alarming in the case of international organizations dedicated to the defense of women, which maintained a long complicit silence in the face of the sexual atrocities committed by Hamas. Some of them, such as UN Women and the Office of the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, spoke out only weeks after the massacre, with the questioned modality of too late and too little. Other organizations supposedly defending women's rights have directly taken a stand for the “terrorist patriarchy,” incurring a painful and reprehensible re-victimization of abused Israeli women.
Activist Einat Fisher Lalo, from the Israel Women's Network, has perfectly portrayed this panorama, pointing out that the feminist slogan “Me Too” has become “Yes, but”, when it comes to murdered Israeli women and abused by Hamas.
Faced with this notable dereliction of duties, MP Pina Picierno, one of the vice presidents of the European Parliament, pointed out that “all international and women's organizations must condemn Hamas and defend the victims,” accusing some of them of “pretending not seeing (...) for political reasons.”
And this is precisely the crux of the matter: the cynical use of political agendas over ethical and moral principles. In other words, in several cases the animosity towards Israel clouded the minds of those who had to go out to defend the life and dignity of Israeli women victims of terrorism. Not to mention those who took positions in favor of Hamas based on their hatred of Jews.
These days we are commemorating a new anniversary of International Women's Day and Gender Equality. In Israel it will be a day dedicated to the memory of those women murdered on 7-10 and to the emotional recovery of those who survived the massacre, but who will carry the weight of horror, abuse and fear on their shoulders for life.
This March 8th, our hearts go out to those souls abused on 7-10. Abused for being Israeli, Jewish and women.