Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War: The Dinah Project’s Quest to Hold Hamas Accountable

Описание: “In so many cases, as is the case of October 7, there are no direct victims who are able to speak – for the very grim reason that Hamas made sure to kill almost each and every one of them. The very few that did survive are too traumatized to speak . . . “


Shortly after the October 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel, witness accounts emerged of women brutally raped and mutilated before they were murdered and silenced forever. For Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, Professor of Law at Bar-Ilan University, that silence was deafening. And the silence of the international community unwilling to hold Hamas accountable, disturbing. 


”Does that mean that [Hamas] can walk away without being prosecuted, without being charged, and without being pointed to as those who perpetrate sexual violence and use it as a weapon of war?” she asks. In this episode, Halperin-Kaddari explains how she and her colleagues have erased any doubt to make sure Hamas is held accountable. 


Their initiative The Dinah Project, named for one of Jacob’s daughters, a victim of rape, just published A Quest for Justice, the most comprehensive assessment to date of the widespread and systematic sexual violence that occurred during and after the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists and their allies. 


The report demonstrates that sexual violence was widespread and systematic during the October 7 attack, that there are clear patterns in the methods of sexual violence across geographic locations, and that sexual violence continued against hostages in captivity. It concludes that Hamas used sexual violence as a tactical weapon of war during and after the October 7 attack. 


Resources:


•

Read: The Dinah Project’s (https://thedinahproject.org/) groundbreaking new report, A Quest for Justice (https://tinyurl.com/Dinah-Project)


•

Read: Hamas' Most Horrific Weapon of War: 5 Takeaways from UN Report on Sexual Violence Against Israelis (https://www.ajc.org/news/hamas-most-h...)



Listen – AJC Podcasts:


•

The Forgotten Exodus: Untold stories of Jews who left or were driven from Arab nations and Iran (https://www.ajc.org/forgotten-exodus)


•

People of the Pod (https://www.ajc.org/peopleofthepod) : 



•

Latest Episodes: 



•

Journalist Matti Friedman Exposes Media Bias Against Israel (https://www.ajc.org/news/podcast/jour...)


•

John Spencer’s Key Takeaways After the 12-Day War: Air Supremacy, Intelligence, and Deterrence (https://www.ajc.org/news/podcast/john...)


•

Iran's Secret Nuclear Program and What Comes Next in the Iranian Regime vs. Israel War (https://www.ajc.org/news/podcast/iran...)



Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod (https://www.ajc.org/peopleofthepod)


You can reach us at: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])


If you’ve appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.


Transcript of the Interview:


Manya Brachear Pashman:


Shortly after the October 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel, witness accounts emerged of women brutally raped and mutilated before they were murdered and silenced forever. For Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, Professor of Law at Bar Ilan University, that silence was deafening. And the silence of the international community unwilling to hold Hamas accountable, disturbing. 


In response, Ruth and colleagues, former military prosecutor Sharon Zagagi-Pinhas and retired judge Nava Ben-Or founded The Dinah Project, an effort to seek justice for the victims of sexual violence during conflicts, particularly in Israel, on October 7, 2023.


This week, together with visual editor Nurit Jacobs-Yinon and linguistics editor Eetta Prince-Gibson, they released A Quest for Justice, the most comprehensive report yet on the sexual violence committed on October 7 and against hostages afterward. Ruth is with us now. Ruth, welcome to People of the Pod. 


Ruth Halperin-Kaddari:  


Thank you very much for having me on your podcast.


Manya Brachear Pashman:  


Well, it's really an honor to have you. I should note for our listeners that you are also the founding Academic Director of the Rackman Center for the Advancement of the Status of Women...