WIZO Conference Puts Women's Rights and Security Front and Center Ahead of Elections

Hundreds of women gathered on Sunday in Tel Aviv for the "Women on the Agenda" conference, jointly organized by WIZO and the Israel Women's Network (IWN) ahead of the upcoming Knesset elections. The central theme of the event was the urgent demand to place women's security, rights, and representation at the top of the political parties' platforms.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was among the prominent speakers, presenting a series of commitments regarding women's rights, the prevention of violence, paternity leave, and legislative reforms. The conference took place against the backdrop of alarming statistics concerning violence against women in Israel, with 14 women having been murdered since the beginning of the year.

Speaking at the event, Bennett criticized the current government's policies and proposed establishing a dedicated police division to combat domestic and gender-based violence. He also pledged to immediately repeal laws that harm women, including legislation permitting gender segregation in higher education graduate programs.

"We have witnessed a crazy regression by this government against women," Bennett stated, adding that he would not compromise on protecting women's rights. He further promised to advance paternity leave and reform criteria for firearm licensing to better address security concerns.

Addressing the status of women in ultra-Orthodox society and the authority of rabbinical courts, Bennett announced his intention to cancel the rabbinical courts law and eliminate subsidies for families where able-bodied individuals do not serve in the IDF or work, pointing out existing economic distortions in daycare allocations.