Prostitution In Israel

anti-Prostitution ad

Prostitution is a major problem in Israel and many are trying to find a way to decrease and minimize it. Rosenthal paints a clear picture of this billion-dollar institution that seems to be part of Israel life. An estimated 700-massage parlor/ brothels operate in the country with 250 in Tel Aviv alone, sex for sale is blatant and lucrative she states. (Rosenthal 383) Due to the money involved in prostitution the Russian Mafia now control most Prostitution in Israel? Prostitution in Israel is legal, running a brothel or living off the earnings of prostitution is not. (Rosenthal 384-385)

devastating picture of an abused prostitute

In Y Net news an article on Israel sex trade Booming they report that about 5,000 women are smuggled to Israel annually and sold into prostitution industry, were they are subjected to violence and abuse. According to this article many of these foreign prostitute are from Ukraine, Moldova, Uzbekistan and Russia most of the time brought though lies of job offers. The Parliamentary Inquiry Committee headed by Knesset Member Zehava Golan are trying to get State prosecutor’s to reframe from making plea bargains with sex traders and offer financial compensation to the victims.

In the same regards to minimize the prostitution industry Knesset member Orit Zuaretz who’s bill is trying to outlaw the solicitation of prostitution. If this passed the law will punish the clients as criminals and force them to take responsibility for their behavior. Zevulun Orlev agrees stating that “ it’s not enough to punish the pimps and the traffickers but in order to dry up the swamp and to reduce demand, we have to hit the clients themselves. ” The bill was introduced during a special session of the committee on trafficking of women. The large opponents are the Knesset members from the Shas party stating that the women are the ones to blames for they tempt the men and so the men seeking should not be punished.   She is quit outraged as I at this way of looking at it and responds, “The real obstacle to progress here is the idea that men cannot help themselves. It is “human nature” for the poor, victimized men to hump the nearest skirt when the opportunity presents itself, according to men like Zeev( Shas Knesset member).Orits bill was inspired by a similar one passed in Sweden in 1999 and resulted in women working as prostitutes shrinking by two-thirds.

         The United Nations named Israel as one of the main destinations in the World for Trafficked women, The U.S State Department as well listed Israel as number two in the trafficking of people report. Israel prostitution industry is devastating to many women and a current problem that Israel is trying to contain. The Daily Jewish forward is a religious site that is pro women and so would feature an article on Knesset member Orit Zuaretz a female effort to contain Prostitution. The data used is consistent with that of the article in Y Net. Whose figures are form the Knesset Inquiry committee. The Y Net article has reliable information and is an informative new article for the Jewish news site.

Druze Brides

Druze Bride crossing border never to return home to her Family

The Honor of Druze Women is sacrosanct that they are not required to have photos on official Israeli documents as Rosenthal states in her book The Israelis. (Rosenthal 311) In her interview of a young Druze girl Salwa goes to say, “I will live at home until I marry. All of us do that is not questioned.”(Rosenthal 311) The Druze is a very religious group that abides to there strict religious laws. In an article titled Druze Bride cannot return to the Golan Heights after her marriage, Druze women are leaving there home for marriage never to return. This article proves true to the young Salwa statement in Rosenthal’s book but to an extreme.

 Israel and Syria have been in a state of war since Israel was created in 1948. Since the 1980’s Israel and Syria have allowed a small number of Golan Druze to cross the Frontier on religious pilgrimages or to study. Druze women can also cross both directions to get married, but they cannot cross back. Twenty-five year old Abushahen from a Druze village of Buqata on the Golan Heights is a bride marring a Druze in Syria and is to leave her family never to return. Abushahen’s family was separated when Israel took the Golan Heights from Syria and has not seen relatives in Syria but at reunions in Jordan who has diplomatic relations with Israel and Syria. It was in Jordan at a family reunion that Abushahen met her Husband Hareb twenty-six. Abushahen father is sad and wishes there wasn’t a fence that forbids him from seeing his daughter in Syria, but knows that he could meet her In Jordan to see her again. “I’m so happy to be married today,” Abushahen said ‘ But “ I’m sad to Leave my family.” The Red Cross Officials escorted her over the Border and into Syria. Their relatives and members of Hareb’s family greeted her.

Movie cover for the The Syrian Bride

            According to Yael Segev-Eytan, a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, since 2001, 70 Druze brides have come from Syria to Golan, but Abushahen’s departure is the first time since 2001 that a Golan Bride has gone to Syria. This situation seems to me more and more common. In 2004 “ The Syrian Bride” and Israeli film tells the story of a young Druze woman who leaves her family on the Golan Heights to marry a Syrian Druze knowing she can’t return. In my research I cam across video clips of Druze brides leaving there family on there wedding day.

The article was on a pro women’s rights cite, called Women living Under Muslim laws. The article was written in a reporting style nevertheless it was put on the web site to show viewers what women are subjected to in their cultures and religions in this case Druze women marriages that force them to leave there families.The following link takes you to a news cite reporting on a Druze Bride to cross to Syria from the Golan Heights She is interviewed and her crossing is shown. It doesn't get more real than watching this happen in Israels Golan Heights.