Police: Sexual Harassment In Jerusalem To Decrease Unless We Act Now

“The kitchen is that way.”

Jerusalem, April 4 – Law enforcement agencies in Israel’s capital are warning that the high rate at which local women are subject to verbal or physical unpleasantness on the basis of their sex cannot be maintained, and that the desired number of such incidents per month will not be met over the course of the year unless the national government steps in.

Jerusalem Police Commander Annass Sidrati told staffers this week that without outside help, Jerusalem will become a safer place for women within two months. “The alleyways of our municipality will become places where women can walk at night without feeling threatened,” he warned. “Current budgetary constraints prevent us from deploying personnel strategically to promote as much sexual harassment as possible. I and my fellow precinct commanders call upon the Minister of Internal Security either to allocate more funding for the purpose of undermining women’s sense of physical security or to engage other ministries to achieve the same end.”

Sidrati told reporters that if his appeal to the minister bore no fruit, he hoped the Knesset or Prime Minister would step in. Senior government officials are in a position to help in ways few others can, stressed Sidrati, noting their extensive experience in administering sexual violence both personally and by proxy. “Exhibit A would be the previous President of Israel, who got where he is today via the Knesset,” he said, referring to Moshe Katzav, currently serving a prison term for rape. For more details Sidrati referred people to his aide. “My girl can give you more information on that case. She’s a pretty one, isn’t she?”

Direct government involvement would be an effective strategy, analysts say, owing to the availability of Knesset Members, their experience in fighting to make some portion or other of the population insecure, and their valuable personal involvement in the harassment of parliamentary aides and underlings.

“There are a hundred twenty sitting members of Knesset, but they spend only a fraction of their time legislating,” explained political scientist Maaseh Meguneh of Tel Aviv University. “They can always carve time out of their schedules to prowl the streets of, say, the Nachlaot neighborhood, especially when the Knesset is in recess.” He added that their presence would add a charged creepiness that the current batch of sexual predators and offenders in the vicinity cannot hope to bring.