Israel's ultra-Orthodox push for gender segregation law
'Nobody has the right to decide for anyone else where they sit, what they wear,' says Merav Michaeli
Israel's ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party and far-right Religious Zionism party demanded legislation permitting gender segregation at publicly funded events as part of ongoing coalition negotiations with prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party has reportedly not yet decided whether or not to grant the demand.
Separate male-female seating at public events falls under discrimination law in the Jewish state, but were frequently practiced by ultra-Orthodox Israelis.
This included forcing women to sit in the back of buses that go through religious areas and the establishment of "Mehadrin" buses, which enforced gender segregation. These buses were abolished in 2011 by the High Court of Justice.
Some buses now have reminders that any person is free to sit where they choose, and preventing someone from sitting somewhere is a crime. Despite this, it's been a frequent occurrence of ultra-Orthodox men attempting to enforce gender segregation on buses and politicians in religious areas have petitioned to restore the "Mehadrin" buses.
Additionally, some ultra-Orthodox Israelis believe forbidding gender segregation is discriminatory, as they cite religious beliefs as the reason for enforcing it. The parties asking to legalize gender segregation are attempting to prevent what they call “judicial persecution by the legal system.”
Outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid responded to the news on Twitter: "While in Iran courageous women are fighting for their rights, in Israel, Smotrich and the ultra-Orthodox nationalists are trying to send women behind barriers and enshrine into law separation between men and women."
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"Where is Likud? Why are they silent? This is not Iran."
Leader of the left-wing Labor party Merav Michaeli also denounced the move, saying, "Women are no less equal."
"Nobody has the right to decide for anyone else where they sit, what they wear, or whether or not to terminate a pregnancy. This is the fight for our democracy."