Should Israel accede to the "Istanbul Convention"?
The Minister of Justice, Gideon Saar, intends to sign in the coming weeks the convention whose stated purpose is the prevention of violence against women or within the family, following the long-standing activities to promote women's rights.
However, sources on the political and extra-parliamentary right warn that the move will impose an expansive and dangerous immigration policy on Israel, and that some articles of the treaty even conflict with halakhah and Judaism.
According to a position paper compiled by the Center for Israeli Immigration Policy, "Chapter 7 of the Convention entitled 'Immigration and Asylum' creates a blatant interference with the principle of legislative and governmental autonomy of the State of Israel. Its control is overseen by foreign supranational bodies. "
The author of the document, Dr. Yona Sharki, an expert in international law, explains that the practical meaning of the Convention is an a priori commitment by the State of Israel to receive in Israel any woman in the world who claims to have been harmed by violence. , If you return to the country you came from.
The position paper also warns against the clause stating that "the parties will take steps ... with a view to eradicating prejudices, customs, traditions and any other practice based on the idea of inferiority of women, or stereotypical roles for women and men."
According to Shrek, "these components do not correspond at all to the character of Israeli society. The issue of gender takes an ultra-liberal turn in the framework of the Convention, which clashes head-on with the religious, cultural and traditional perceptions of entire sectors of Israeli society."
The Ministry of Justice rejected the criticism and said in response that the treaty allows the acceding countries not to accept some of the clauses, through reservations from them.
In addition, in Israel it has long been customary to submit an "interpretive statement", in which the state asks the courts to interpret problematic provisions in international conventions, in accordance with the prevailing perceptions in Israel.
"Experience shows that the courts refrain from relying on international conventions to intervene in these sensitive issues, and take the reservations and interpretative statements submitted by the State of Israel very seriously," said a source in the Ministry of Justice.
However, the source admitted that "the conduct of the judges cannot be predicted in advance."
"A world of extreme progressive values"
In the political system, the calming down from the direction of the Ministry of Justice is rejected.
MK Katie Sheetrit (Likud) told Israel Today that "the ratification of the Istanbul Convention is a reckless move that will fundamentally dismantle the family institution, through the adoption of an extreme progressive world of values.
The Convention infringes on Knesset sovereignty.
It will include in the study materials the extreme progressive worldview according to which there is no difference between women and men.
It is a worldview that creates confusion and embarrassment among children and youth, and does not correspond to the objective reality. "
Sheetrit added that "this dangerous treaty will open the gates of the state to any woman in the world who claims that she is being persecuted against the background of 'gender violence'. The State of Israel for this sick bed. "
This coming Wednesday, Justice MK Simcha Rotman (Religious Zionism) will hold a conference in the Knesset against joining the convention. "Apparently," Rotman told Israel Today, She is immediately attacked.
But in fact it is a very problematic document that puts the Council of Europe into the most sensitive considerations of the State of Israel, and even into the considerations of the family unit. "
He said, "The definition of violence in a convention is very vague and broad. It does not distinguish between violence and discrimination and legitimate personal and family considerations. Israeli courts are known to be highly activist, and the convention opens a dangerous door for them. Then they will quarrel, the wife will be able to claim that according to the convention this is a form of violence. "
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