 |
| Judge Nissim Yeshaya |
An Israeli judge was slammed after saying at a court hearing that some women enjoy being raped.
The Tel Aviv judge sparked the outrage yesterday when he said during a rape conviction appeals hearing that some women enjoy rape.
Judge Nissim Yeshaya however, later apologized for his insensitive comment.
Yeshaya, who served on the bench of the District Court of Tel Aviv from 1993 to 2009, has retired, but he leads a panel hearing an appeal.
According to an attorney present in court, the judge did not understand why everyone has become shockingly silent.
The hearing involved the case of a young Israeli 13-year-old who was raped by four Palestinian teenagers in the Shuafat refugee camp, six years ago.
The four were arrested, convicted and imprisoned, but the Ministry of Defense stated that the attack was not a terrorist type attack, therefore, the victim will not be entitled to compensation from the government and other benefits granted to victims of terrorism. The Ministry of Defense oversees criminal cases related to West Bank Palestinians.
The victim was in court to appeal the decision of the Ministry of Defense and was described as "upset and very hurt" when she heard the comment.
Her attorney argued that the victim was targeted because she was Jewish.
Yeshaya later apologized for his remark.
Yeshaya’s comment was criticized by politicians who called for his dismissal. Culture Minister Limor Livnat, who also heads the ministerial committee for the advancement of women, asked the court administrator Judge Michael Shpitzer to prohibit Yeshaya from further participation in legal panels.
"The judge's statement was terrible and outrageous," she said. "It is difficult to assess the total damage caused, which may deter other sexual assault victims from reporting attacks," she also said.