Israel / Palestine

the reports about sexual violence around the 7th attacks are haunting, i hope we get a thorough investigation of these claims, much like all claims of sexual assault that have surfaced from israeli and palestinian citizens. when discussing sexual assault. especially in this context, it's helpful to have a broard and structural view of sexual assault and how it is often percieved, used and ignored. as it is, so emotive and traumatic, it often is not discussed. which only leads to the causes and triggers remaining an endemic, tabboo subject, only benefitting perpatrators, not victims. we should also be able to discuss these things without assuming it's deminishing something else.

anyone denying the existance of sexual assault in an event like this, in a conflict zone like this is grotesque. it's simply a matter of historical precident that sexual assault is a tool used directly or indirectly due to the dehuminising nature of conflict in all thearters, be it hamas launching an attack on israel or america in iraq. women all over the globe are often the targets of violence for many a force or invasion.

i think it's increasingly depressing that due to the israeli states history of being unreliable in conveying the motives, reasoning, extent, of violence targetted at them, be it sept 7 or prior, people are skeptical of believing if not the event, but the shape of the event. the attacks were horrific enough, but multiple cases have arose of massaged, or falsified evidence to provide further legitimisasion of their collective punishment bombing campaign. it doesn't help that much of what is coming from the state wrt to these new revelations is making those skeptical feel validated, be it due to israels destruction of evidence, seemingly blaming NGO's for not acting quick enough when they've been either shelled by israel, discredited, refused access or told they're in league with hamas, their womens minister who is not only a notorious racist, but historically uses sexual assaults as a method to be racist. the timing of this messaging release also raises eyebrows, yet again it's a government using their atrocity and citizens trauma as a deck of power cards they can deploy when they need coverage for their genocide in palestine.

these are a state manifestation of issues that prevent the prosecution, and persuit of justice for people sexually assaulted on a personal, day to day level, they're not unique to israel. nor does it mean the 1st party testomonies should be doubted, even with the states actions.

it also is amongst a frame work of palestinians reporting sexual assault and abuse not only in captivity following the 7th attacks, but prior in unconvicted detention. attacks which are often ignored internationally and due to the legal system and representation for palestinians, the very structure of apartheid they live under, are unable to be drawn out into the light. much like it comes to the deaths of palestinians and israelis, one is talked about as if it is our neighbour or family member, as it should, the other is talked about as if it's a statistic or an accident, in passive voice. intentionally ofcourse. no clearer does that come through than in these reports

i also think the way sexual assualt is used in propaganda is worth mentioning here, to many it's seen as a fate worse than death. both for its traumatic impact on a person, but also due to sexist and patrarchal views of the use of a womans body and our inability to seek justice for it. for this reason it has often been used to build consent for atrocities against people. a famous example of hillary clinton talking at legnth about mass rape in libiya to justify their war yet the UN, when left to investigate found no such evidence to support the claim. in this thread we already have the inevitable competition of what's worse, a dead woman or a seuxally assaulted one. this sort of propaganda is also especially effective when presented at a majority white audience, especially when the opposition is middle-eastern. because of these reasons, it's incredibly effective at providing cover, or building consent for equally, or more, violent crimes at a state level, such as the bombing, murder and displacement of innocent women, children and men. which are equally deplorable to the actions reported, every singly incident of it.

again, this is not to say the claims are not true, we have no indipendant investigation but we know, as outlined, it is present in conflict zones and their are witness reports which deserve to be treated with respect, it is to say that the reason it is presented to us, now, how it is presented, why it is presented, is for a specific point.

as a woman it's so painful to see sexual assault and reports of it so readily used and only talked about as a partisan issue. to see these reports is painful, to see western journalists indifference and the lack of access to justice palestinians have when reporting seuxal assault is painful, to see these traumatic, barbaric assaults of israeli's not get a thorough investigation because the exscuse to accelerate the destruction of gaza is too tempting, is painful. as a woman you're not only aware of the gravity of sexual assault, the impact it has, but also the gravity that so often it is ignored, that so often if you are believed comes from if believing you is useful or not to a man, the police, the state, who you are. then the justice you recieve is dependant on how these things benefit insittutions at large. events like this are no different.