ISRAEL: Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women considers Report of Israel

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has considered the combined fourth and fifth periodic report of Israel on how that country implements the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Aharon Leshno Yaar, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Office at Geneva, in introductory remarks, said the State of Israel remained committed to promoting women's rights in law and in practice and it had undertaken great strides to meet the only acceptable benchmark of achieving full equality. Israeli Supreme Court rulings and subsequent Attorney General Directives in 2003 had all determined that appropriate representation must be interpreted as being equal representation. The principal achievements in the status of women were expressed within Israeli legislation and the mechanisms that were established in various areas.

Also introducing the report, Shavit Matias, Deputy Director General for International Affairs of the Ministry of Justice of Israel, noted that the advancement and promotion of gender equality and the promotion of women's rights had been on the agenda of every Israeli Government since the foundation of the State of Israel. Equality was a fundamental principle already enshrined in Israel's Declaration of Independence. In addition, the Equal Rights for Women Law 1951, enacted only three years after the State was founded, was a testimony to the emphasis placed on gender-related issues from the State's inception. Throughout its existence, these issues and principles had remained a priority for Israel and were of the utmost importance to its Government and society. There was always much to be done and there were plans for future improvements. It was important to note however that the Government was constantly moving forward.

Questions and issues raised by Experts during the interactive discussion included questions regarding the rights of Palestinian women in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, their treatment, and their access to legal remedies. Several Committee members also asked for more information about the Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women, its budget, the scope of its mandate, and its powers. The delegation was also asked about the involvement of women in the peace process and conflict resolution, the application of the Convention by courts, training for judges, lawyers and law enforcement officials on the Convention and its provisions, and the dissemination of information about the Convention to the public. Other lines of questioning concerned domestic violence and services available to both Israeli and Palestinian women in this regard; the possibility of Israel establishing a national human rights institution in accordance with the Paris Principles; Israel's adherence to international human rights law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; the need for the State party to adopt an explicit law criminalizing gender based discrimination and enshrining equality of men and women; the State party's reservation to Article 16; and the role of rabbinical courts and their treatment of women.

In concluding remarks, Ms. Matias said the delegation truly appreciated the in-depth exchange with the Committee. They had gained a lot from the discussion today and they would take the Committee's valuable input back home, share it with their colleagues and give it serious consideration. The delegation looked forward to receiving the Committee's concluding observations.

Also in concluding observations, Silvia Pimentel, Committee Chairperson, commended the State party for its initiatives in many areas to further implement the provisions of CEDAW at the domestic level in the legislative, judicial and executive areas, but noted with concern the lack of overarching legislation with regard to discrimination against women in accordance with the Convention, discrimination against women with respect to family law matters and the need for enacting a civil law regarding such matters, gender based violence, the situation of women migrant workers and the treatment of women minorities in the country.

The delegation of Israel included representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Israel Defence Forces, the Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women, and the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

The next public meeting of the Committee will be on Wednesday, 19 January at 10 a.m., when the Committee will begin its consideration of the seventh periodic report of Kenya (CEDAW/C/KEN/7).