Ministers Continue to Delay Bill to Monitor Domestic Violence, Drawing Anger

Another issue plaguing the country is domestic violence. Yet another woman in Israel was found dead with signs of physical trauma, marking the ninth case of domestic violence in 2023. The 50-year-old woman’s ex-husband has been detained by police for questioning. Israel’s public broadcasting channel Kan reports that her 15-year-old daughter found her.

This incident follows a larger issue, where female and some male members of the Israeli Knesset have been impassioned. Last week, Ben Gvir and other lawmakers voted down a proposed law to tag repeat domestic violence offenders and keep tabs on them. The bill, previously proposed by Gideon Saar, the former Minister of Justice, aimed to monitor repeat offenders deemed dangerous by judges through a geolocator-based technology. This technology would help ensure these individuals do not get too close to someone who has taken a restraining order against them.

The law was voted down last week, with Ben Gvir expressing concern about potential false accusations against men. Sa’ar responded, stating, “This is a balanced bill drafted after lengthy preparations by all professional elements, and approved unanimously in the first reading by the previous Knesset. The series of delays due to Ben Gvir’s whim displays contempt for human lives.” Since the law did not pass one week ago on March 19th, three women have been murdered, with the suspects identified as their romantic partners or previous romantic partners.