PNN – “Mohammad Mohsen Fayezi,” an expert on Palestinian issues, addressed the issue of women in Israel in an article and examined the status of women in this regime with various components. Finally, he compared the status of women in Hamas and Israel.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, in an article titled “Women in Israel” published in the Iranian newspaper, “Mohammad Mohsen Fayezi,” an expert on Palestinian issues, examined the situation of women in the Zionist regime in order to reveal the reality of the position of women in this regime, contrary to propaganda and baseless claims.
The full text of this note is as follows:
Let’s start with this statement, which is probably far from our imagination: According to a report published by the Israel Democracy Center in early 2023, global statistics show that gender pay equality in the occupied territories is very disastrous, ranking 105th globally, and the level of women’s role in management positions is one of the lowest among developed and developing countries, ranking 66th globally.
In the previous article of the Untouched Column, on the pretext of March 8, which is International Women’s Day and on which Western and Arab countries address women’s issues, we examined the situation of women in Palestine based on statistics. In this article, we will examine the situation of women in the occupied territories.
The fertility rate in the occupied territories is 2.9, which varies between secular women, Israeli Arab women, and ultra-Orthodox women. The current fertility rate for ultra-Orthodox women is 6.6, for Arabs 3.1, and for seculars 2.2.
In general, two issues regarding women in Israel have always been a topic of discussion and challenge: female military service and the presence of women in politics, which we will examine.
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Israeli women are underrepresented in politics. No woman has held the position since Golda Meir was prime minister from 1969 to 1974, and Israel has the longest period of time without a woman at the head of government among OECD members. The OECD, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, is a group that currently has 37 members. It includes most European countries and several non-European countries, including Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Denmark, Norway, Turkey, and the United States.
As you know, the Knesset, or parliament, is the main political-shaping body and the only election in the occupied territories. Municipal elections are also held, which are not very important. The Knesset electoral lists, which are elected by direct vote of the Zionists, elect the prime minister.
In the last Knesset elections held in 2022, 29 out of 120 seats went to women, or about 25 percent. The presence of women in the Knesset was less than 10 percent when the regime first declared its fake existence. This figure not only did not increase in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, but it actually decreased, reaching 7 to 11 seats out of 120 seats (below 10 percent).
But since 2000, influenced by the international environment, the number of women has gradually increased. Until it reached 29 seats in 2015. Of course, it is also necessary to mention that in the recent elections, 29 women entered the Knesset directly from electoral lists. However, due to the law that allows ministers to resign from the Knesset and be replaced by their list, the number of women in parliament is now 35.
Another issue that needs to be addressed, and it concerns women in Israel, is the conscription of women. The Zionist regime is among the 10 armies in which female conscription is compulsory. Countries such as Cape Verde, Eritrea, Sweden, the Emirates, Norway, and the Republic of Chad, along with Georgia, China, and North Korea, have conscription of women. Israel also holds the record for having 24-month conscription for women.
Women in Israel try to avoid military service by using various exemptions, such as marriage, pregnancy, religious reasons (Haredi), and illness. According to 2021 statistics, the rate of military service evasion through various exemptions has reached 45%, indicating a serious reluctance on the part of women to serve in the military. The increase in news about rape and sexual issues in the army, along with the increase in the number of women in military units, has added to this problem of trying to avoid military service.
Before 2000, women were not required to serve in military units. However, the percentage of female soldiers in combat positions has increased from 3% in 2015 to 8% in 2019. The Israeli military also announced in 2020 that 92% of its military units were open to women.
The occupied territories, with the presence of a wide range of Jewish and Haredi thought alongside the wave of feminism and liberalism regarding women, have made the issue of women a serious and highly reflective issue. This issue becomes even more prominent when it is involved in a duality facing it, namely the Islamist movement and Palestinian Muslims. Agam Berger, a freed Israeli female prisoner, says in an interview: Hamas forces allowed us to use the radio and television. We read newspapers, and after October 7th we celebrated Hanukkah and walked along the seashore! For them, women are sacred. Women are queens there!