In the framework of 16 days of activism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held an event today (Tuesday) to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which took place on November 25. The event was held as a call to action to countries and international organizations that did not make their voices heard clearly and in favor of the Israeli women who were injured on October 7 and those who are still experiencing the horrific terror of Hamas captivity.
The event was attended by approximately 100 foreign female and male diplomats who signed the petition “Believe Israeli Women.”
The event was also attended by the executive directors of the women's lobby and the association of victims of sexual assault victims, as well as by the chairperson of the executive committee and executive director of Forum Dvorah.
At the start of the event, an exhibition of illustrations presenting different perspectives of the horrors of October 7 was inaugurated at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen stated: “The silence of the international organizations regarding the horrors of the October 7 is a mark of condemnation. In recent weeks we have been exposed to evidence of these despicable acts of abuse by Hamas terrorists, especially against women, and the "enlightened" world shuts its eyes for one reason only: these women are Jewish and Israeli."
“We demand that the international community act against the Hamas terrorist organization for its crimes against humanity and call for the immediate release of the female and male abductees that are being held by a terrorist organization worse than ISIS. I congratulate the Women Diplomats Network and all those involved in the efforts at the MFA for organizing the event that raised awareness of the women, both young and old, who were first victimized by the Hamas monsters and then once again by the disgraceful neglect of the organizations that are supposed to protect them."
Aliza Bin Nun, Head of the MFA’s Political Strategic Divisionm said: “Failure to explicitly condemn Hamas' many acts of rape and sexual violence and assigning the responsibility to Hamas, clearly threatens not only the safety and security of Israeli women and girls, but the safety and security of women and girls everywhere. What Hamas and its ilk did to Israeli women and girls, they will do tomorrow to women and girls in all Western countries. As an international community and as diplomatic women, we have an obligation to talk about what happened on October 7 and to take action to prevent such atrocities from happening again anywhere in the world.”
The Women Diplomats Network, which is currently headed by diplomat Shir Gideon-Mizrachi, was established by female Israeli diplomats in 2012 and connects the entire community of female diplomats living in Israel for the benefit of relevant activities and networking in Israel and abroad.