A wave of indignation rocked Israel on Friday after the alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl by a group of around 30 men at a hotel in the seaside town of Eilat.
The teenager filed a complaint last week for alleged gang rape by thirty men, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP. “Two suspects have been arrested in connection with an incident under investigation involving a 16-year-old girl in a town in the south of the country,” he added.
Spontaneous demonstrations in several cities
The story had passed under the radar until the local press reported Thursday that the men lined up outside the drunk girl's hotel room, waiting their turn to rape her.
From Thursday evening, spontaneous demonstrations took place in various cities such as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in support of the girl and to condemn the sexual violence inflicted on women.
In the Israeli political class, condemnations have multiplied since Thursday. “It's shocking, there is no other word! It is not only a crime against a young girl, it is a crime against humanity itself which deserves all our condemnation ", commented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who called for" those responsible to be brought to justice. in justice ".
"Every day there are 260 women who are raped in Israel"
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin wrote a letter on social media to "the youth" denouncing "the reported horrors of gang rape in Eilat". "Sexual assault, rape, sexual exploitation, sexual violence are indelible stains (…) which destroy us as a society and make us miserable", wrote the president.
“Every day there are 260 women who are raped in Israel” according to official data, protests Ilana Weizman, 36, who founded the feminist group HaStickeriot inspired by French splicers who fight against “rape culture”. According to the same data, "one in five women is raped in Israel in her lifetime," she told AFP.
"We have to educate our boys about the issue of consent"
For about two months, the group has been sticking feminist slogans on the walls of several Israeli cities such as “lo ze lo” (no is no) or even “at lo levad” (you are not alone).
"We must stop saying that we must protect our girls, we must educate our boys about the issue of consent and this from an early age," she underlines, adding that the State must allocate more budget to fight violence against women and not just “use big words”.
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