French Feminist Groups Accused of Ignoring Sexual Violence Against Israeli Women by Hamas

Accident – death – Obituary News : French feminist groups have faced criticism for allegedly ignoring the sexual violence inflicted on Israeli women during the October 7 attacks by Hamas. This accusation highlights the conflicting narratives and loyalties that have arisen from the devastating conflict, as well as the failure to quickly investigate and establish the gender-based nature of the atrocities committed. Efforts to draw attention to the violence suffered by Israeli women and girls resulted in an incident in Paris during the annual November 25 march against violence towards women. A group of around 200 protesters, some carrying Israeli flags and wearing clothes stained with fake blood, claimed they were prevented from joining the march by pro-Palestinian activists. The protesters had planned to condemn the silence of feminist groups regarding the attacks and carried placards reading “MeToo, unless you are a Jew” and “Feminists, your silence makes you complicit”. Reports of the incident spread widely on social media, adding to the widespread criticism of alleged bias among women’s rights advocates.

Government ministers and senior politicians also became involved in the dispute. France’s Gender Equality Minister, Bérangère Couillard, warned that state subsidies for advocacy groups were dependent on the respect of “universal values” and stated that violence should not be condemned based on nationality or the type of conflict. Senator Laurence Rossignol, a former minister for women’s rights, commented on the unprecedented division among feminists. Organisers of the Paris march responded with a joint statement, emphasising their “unambiguous condemnation of the sexual and sexist crimes, rapes and femicides committed by Hamas” during the October 7 attacks. They also criticised attempts to exploit the fight against gender-based violence and accused far-right activists of fuelling tensions at the march and seeking to discredit its organisers.

The criticism levelled at feminist groups in France echoes similar complaints made against rights organisations and international bodies in other Western countries and in Israel. UN agencies, such as UN Women, have faced particular scrutiny for their alleged failure to condemn the specific violence suffered by women during the October 7 attacks. Israeli First Lady, Michal Herzog, expressed her outrage and sense of betrayal in an opinion piece for Newsweek due to the international community’s failure to condemn the gender-based sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas. On Wednesday, a UN commission of inquiry investigating war crimes on both sides of the Israel-Hamas conflict announced that it would focus on gathering evidence of sexual violence during the October 7 attacks. The commission’s chair, Navi Pillay, stated that she would pass the evidence to the International Criminal Court and call for it to consider prosecutions. Critics argue that the graphic footage, CCTV images, and accounts of first responders provide sufficient evidence of the crimes committed by Hamas and other factions involved in the attacks. However, many war crimes experts emphasise the need for corroborating evidence, which is challenging to obtain due to the unprecedented nature of the attack. Céline Bardet, a war crimes expert and funder of the NGO We Are not Weapons of War, called for an independent and thorough investigation into the crimes committed on October 7, highlighting the acrimony and mistrust surrounding the subject.

Women’s rights groups in Israel have warned of significant failings in preserving forensic evidence that could have shed light on the scale of sexual violence perpetrated against women and girls during the Hamas attacks. Tal Hochman, a government relations officer at the Israel Women’s Network, stated that most of the raped women were subsequently killed, making it impossible to fully understand the extent of the violence. While images of the attacks quickly spread on social media, detailed reports of sexual violence emerged more slowly. On November 14, police announced that they had opened investigations into “multiple cases” of sexual violence during the October 7 attacks, citing video evidence, DNA samples, and witness accounts. The Israeli government has faced criticism for its failure to initially recognise and investigate the gender-based violence, alongside international organisations.

In recent weeks, the Israeli government has increased efforts to gain recognition and support for the victims of sexual violence. On November 5, the Israeli state appealed to feminists to support Israeli women who were raped, tortured, murdered, and kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. The following week, Israel’s foreign ministry launched a social media campaign under the hashtag #BelieveIsraeliWomen. French writer Sarah Barukh argued that many feminist groups had failed to stand by their core principle of believing women, particularly Israeli women. She criticised claims of a lack of evidence as hypocritical and highlighted the need for an independent investigation into the crimes committed on October 7..