Sexual Violence in Israel and Gaza on October 7 and Beyond: Impact, Denial and Silence

The terrible events of October 7 changed Israel and shocked the world. The sexual violence perpetrated mainly by Hamas and Islamic Jihad on October 7 and the ongoing sexual violence against Israeli hostages in Gaza was unprecedented in the Middle East, as was the killing of children and families in their homes. Yet much of the world turned away from the violence, while many others either denied that it happened or said that it was justified by the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the fate of the Palestinians since 1948. The presentations and panel discussion “Sexual Violence in Israel and Gaza on October 7 and Beyond: Impact, Denial and Silence” examines the reactions to the violence of October 7 in Israel, the Arabic-speaking world and the West.

-His Excellency, Amb. Yacov Hadas-Handelsman, the Israeli Ambassador to Hungary will talk about the diplomatic aspects of the conflict, focusing on the denial of the sexual and other forms of violence that happened on October 7.

-Shirel Liberman, an Israeli influencer and the co-founder of "Shift," a women-led impact network aimed at supporting women in public diplomacy and enhancing Israel's positive global influence, will speak about the impact of these events on women in Israel and their lack of impact on foreign feminist and women's groups. 

-Or Yissachar, the head of research for the Israeli Defense and Security Forum, will discuss the military and security aspects of what happened on October 7, the War in Gaza and the ongoing conflict.

-Nicki, a Staff Sergeant of IDF Spokesperson’s Unit will talk about the explanatory work process for the international media regarding the issue of sexual harassment on October 7.

Schedule:

Welcoming Speech:

• István Kiss, Executive Director, Danube Institute
  
  

Introduction:

• Prof. Jeffrey Kaplan, Senior Distinguished Fellow, Danube Institute
  
  

Panel discussion:

• Amb. Yacov Hadas-Handelsman, the Israeli Ambassador to Hungary 
• Shirel Liberman, Israeli influencer, SHIFT 
• Or Yissachar, Head of the Research Department, Israel Defense and Security Forum, (IDSF) 
• Nicki, Staff Sergeant, IDF Spokesperson’s Unit