Moshe Katsav

A protest marking International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in Tel Aviv. (Activestills.org)

+972’s Person of the Year: The women standing up to sexual harassment

The women who spoke out in 2016 executed an unplanned pincer move. As accusations snowballed, women inspired one another to speak up. First and foremost, what 2016 should mean for Israel’s social institutions is that there are limits on power. Whether or not men acknowledge what they did as wrong, title or talent must not protect them.

By +972 Magazine December 30, 2016

Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav walks with his wife Gila, after releasing from Ma'asiyahu Prison where he served his sentence, December 21, 2016. (Aloni Mor/Flash90)

When a government shows more forgiveness to a rapist than a victim

An ex-president who has been convicted of rape is released from prison early, despite showing no remorse. Meanwhile, a rape victim who killed his assailant in self-defense remains behind bars, denied clemency. By OR Seri On Sunday, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin announced that he had rejected a request for clemency for Yonatan Heilo. Heilo, an Ethiopian immigrant,…

By +972 Magazine December 22, 2016

Rape, occupation and racism – all a day’s work in Israel

Inside Katsav’s brain I got to the office minutes before the judges handed down their sentence. It was just enough time for my colleagues to gather in my office and bet how much our former President, Moshe Katsav, would get for being a serial rapist. He raped women when he was Minister of Tourism. Between…

By Ami Kaufman March 22, 2011

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Katzav verdict: A letter to A. of the Tourism Ministry

Dear, A., As a father of two daughters who are thank God too young to understand what happened yesterday, I would like to thank you on their behalf. They don’t know it yet, but you have already affected their lives immensely. Thank you for bringing to light the filthy behaviour of Israeli men in high-ranking…

By Ami Kaufman December 31, 2010

Feminism (Photo: Flickr Creative commons/apple apple)

ISRAEL: Far from Feminist

In his celebrated New York Review of Books essay, Peter Beinart wrote: “For several decades, the Jewish establishment has asked American Jews to check their liberalism at Zionism’s door.” Too often, I feel that Israel has asked its women (and men) to check their feminism at the door. The irony is that as an American,…

By Dahlia Scheindlin December 22, 2010