Last November, a comprehensive investigation by "Shishab" revealed how women are harassed and sexually assaulted every day in public transportation all over the country.
The problem is especially evident when it comes to buses on the way to Samaria, where women and girls often find themselves alone among dozens of men.
"I collected more than 120 testimonies of sexual harassment on these buses," Zivait Nahum, who moved from Ariel to Laur Akiva after two sexual harassments she experienced, told us, "harassment that was carried out only by Palestinians. One of the incidents was an attempt to convince them to come to the village. The vast majority of the complainants They are girls and women aged 11-20, and there were few women in their 30s. As far as I understand, there were girls who complained about it to the police, but the case was closed due to lack of evidence."
The investigation into sexual harassment in Chabat reaches the Knesset. Ministers Regev and Smotrich, photo: Efrat Eshel, Oren Ben Hakon
Now, hundreds of residents of Samaria have turned to the Minister of Transportation, Miri Regev, and to the Minister of Finance and the Minister in the Ministry of Defense, Bezalel Smotrich, demanding that they intervene in the phenomenon of incessant harassment, as we have reported extensively.
In the letter, which was sent by hundreds of parents who live in Samaria, the authors stated that "for several years there has been a disturbing and dangerous phenomenon of Palestinian Arabs, who fill all the lines of the Palestinian Authority from the early afternoon hours until the night hours, from the central region towards Samaria.
This situation creates unpleasant and even illogical situations for the residents of Samaria and Benjamin.
There are many cases of a bus full of Arab men and one lone female soldier who wants to return to her home in Ariel or any other settlement in Samaria.
Soldiers, young men and women, teenagers who usually do not own a car, find themselves in a bus full of Palestinians.
Very quickly there were cases of verbal and physical harassment, teasing, pushing and more.
Hu, it would not be far today that there could be harm to human life in a place like this."
Michal Zaitman, a resident of Kedumim, stated that "Our children who serve in the IDF are not allowed to hitchhike back home due to the security policy they practice towards IDF soldiers. Sometimes when my son arrives at a magic junction he does not know if he is waiting in the sovereign state of Israel. There are hundreds there Palestinians, a feeling that all the villages in the area travel with them on buses. The hatred they have in their eyes, and especially the potential to bully soldiers, girls and children, is enormous."
Shai Aharoni, a resident of Rabbah whose children travel by bus, added: "Many times my daughter tells me how Palestinians look at her, their looks, from head to toe, their desire to sit next to Jewish women, the fear that everyone is Arab and there is only one Jewish woman, their sirens, their whistles When you're standing at an intersection. These harassments happen all the time, every day, throughout Yosh, and no one compensates here."
The issue recently made headlines again thanks to a post on social media posted by Yigal Brand, CEO of the global leadership of the Beitar movement, who lives on Yair Farm in Samaria.
Brand is the father of five children, who avoid using public transport with their friends.
The record on social networks made waves and reached tens of thousands of exposures and shares.
The problem raised by Brand has been the main topic of discussion in Yosh settlements lately and points to the seriousness of the phenomenon.
Brand emphasized that "there is no question that this situation cannot continue and cannot be put on the agenda. It is not possible for the citizens of the country who live in Samaria to be discriminated against and find themselves exposed to such threats every day. This is a ticking bomb that will not go far today and God forbid it could explode in all of our faces It's up to you to stop this disgrace. The eyes of thousands of Samaria residents are waiting for you."
The public transport investigation reveals how young girls are sexually harassed
• "Sishab" surveillance: when the sexual harasser is the driver
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