Criminalizing Prostitution in Israel: A Method of Assistance or Pure Penalization?

Prostitution in Israel

There is a lot of debate over whether or not the policy regarding prostitution in Israel is fine the way it is. However, there are many who believe prostitution should be made a crime and other policies should be instituted. Based on my research, there is more evidence in support of the idea to criminalize prostitution. Before I go further into that, it is important to understand what the current policy is exactly and what it is people are trying to change about it. In addition, I will provide information about specific organizations and information sources that help to provide more information on this topic.

According to Atzum, a social justice organization in Israel, Israel’s current policy allows adults to participate in the buying and selling of sex. They are not, however, allowed to solicit sex from minors, “pimp”, traffic, own a brothel or advertise sex. Those actions will result in legal punishments including time in prison. Atzum was established in 2002 with the sole purpose of fighting against injustice in Israel. The word “Atzum” is comprised of three different words: Avodat (work), Tzedakah (justice), B’Mishpat (judgement) – all contributing to Atzum’s mission to create change and pursue justice in Israel.

Those who are in favor of better structuring this policy are strong advocates of the Nordic Model. According to the Task Force on Human Trafficking and Prostitution, Iceland, Norway and Finland have experienced a significant decrease in prostitution activity since establishing the Nordic Model. The Nordic Model would place more of an emphasis on the health and wellness of sex workers while penalizing those demanding sex for commercial use.

In an article titled, “Israel Wants to Completely Criminalize Paying for Sex”, Haaretz correspondent Sharon Pulwer discusses the proposed legislation in the Knesset regarding criminalizing prostitution in Israel. She mentions early on in her article that there is a large amount of support for this legislation among members of the Knesset. Sharon Pulwer has covered a multitude of topics during her time with Haaretz. They include terror attacks, politics, religious issues and more. Her coverage of anti-prostitution legislation is part of the vast array of information she is able to report on.

Pulwer mentions several different people involved in the inter-ministerial committee handling this legislation. Inter-ministerial committees are established to look more closely at laws and legislation such as the ones regarding prostitution. Another example of the work done by an inter-ministerial committee is an assignment regarding bill on divorce refusal. Pulwer mentions that the inter-ministerial committee assigned to the prostitution legislation is made up of members from a wide range of other ministries that deal with health, finance, public security, etc.

Some of the statements included in Pulwer’s article come from ministry members. Shuli Moalem-Refaeli, a member of the Knesset, confirmed that everyone on this particular inter-ministerial committee had a good understanding of the current prostitution level of activity. Moalem-Refali has served on various committees related to health and wellness, sexual harassment, trafficking, and more. Another statement made in Pulwer’s article is from the Head of Health Ministry’s Levinsky Clinic and Health Ministry representative on this committee, Yael Gur. Her statement provides insight as to how this piece of legislation will affect female prostitutes, financially, early on. Pulwer also mentions Efrat Sherabi, deputy head of services for the individual and family welfare at the Social Affairs Ministry. Sherabi, also serving as a member of this inter-ministerial committee, sheds some light on the fact that prostitution is a main source of income for a rather large majority of prostitutes in Israel. She follows this point with the idea that there must be some alternative to a prostitute’s form of income. All of these voices are found in the sections of Pulwer’s article focusing on the information of the proposed legislation and how it could benefit the lives of sex workers.

When discussing those against the proposed legislation, Pulwer uses statements from one voice: Hagit Lernau, deputy head of the Public Defender’s office and member of this inter-ministerial committee. Lernau claims that this legislation will not put an end to prostitution and, if anything, it will lessen the amount of police protection that they are given. She adds that this legislation is a “problematic approach.”

Puwel offers a sufficient amount of detail on the proposed legislation, current statistics regarding prostitution, and activity taking place in the inter-ministerial committee responsible for the bill. While the section referring to the opposition of the bill does offer insight into the other side of this story, there is only one voice used as opposed to the earlier article sections that use a plethora of voices. It is possible that the author chose to only give that much information on the opposition to persuade readers, or it shows that there was not enough information to present in regards to people opposing the bill.

Each piece of data in Puwel’s article begins with “According to…” but the source is very vague. For example, there is no website or information link attached to the data source that could support the given data. While the facts presented seem reliable, it does make it a bit difficult to fact check and learn more about the data.

Puwel’s article is vastly different from an article published on the Times of Israel website. Author Marissa Newman sheds some light on the idea that Israelis are very much against the proposed legislation in her article, “In anti-prostitution battle, Israel takes a trick out of Europe’s book.” In comparison to Newman’s article, Puwel’s article sets a much more neutral tone regarding the issue. Puwel’s article focuses on the issue in a more political sense while Newman’s article has a very personal tone due to her use of statements from actual prostitutes in Israel.

At the top of Puwel’s article is an image of a prostitute in Israel with the caption “A prostitute on the street. Exposed to exploitation, disease and violence.” Her article itself is very politically focused but this caption hints at an attitude more in favor of the proposed legislation.

Donna Rosenthal’s book, “The Israelis”, includes a chapter titled, “Hookers and Hash in the Holy Land.” It provides lots of personal, historical and statistical evidence supporting the criminalization of prostitution in Israel. Rosenthal provides data regarding the increasing rates of venereal disease and AIDS transmissions in Israel. She follows this with a statement from a sixteen-year-old rehab escapee who holds a rather careless attitude toward who she provides sexual services to. Rosenthal may have included this statement to show how relaxed the policy is and how it could potentially affect the health and well-being of the prostitutes themselves (Rosenthal 372 in the 2008 edition).

Rosenthal also presents evidence on past attempts to push for more penalization of human trafficking. She explains that many women’s organizations have protested against the very laid-back attitude of the police regarding treatment of prostitutes. They have even gone the length as to show politicians first hand what living in a brothel looks like through giving them tours. In addition to all of those attempts, they continue to push the Knesset for a more structured approach to the penalization of human trafficking (Rosenthal 376-377 in the 2008 edition).

Religion and Education: Two Separate Topics

            Not all Israeli Jews are religious and not all of them want public schooling for their children to promote Judaism. Haaretz correspondent and Education Analyst Or Kashti, who has written many articles on topics such as education funding and curriculum in Israeli schools, presents information regarding a recent study of 80 public school books. His article, “Jews' advantages to non-Jews’: Religious indoctrination seeping into Israeli textbooks,” highlights the findings of this study which clearly portray the discouragement of secular parents of students in Israel.

Naftali Bennett

            Kashti’s article mentions Israel’s Education Minister Naftali Bennett (right) who implemented the “Israeli Jewish Culture” program curriculum into state schools just last year. The intent behind this was to teach students about Jewish culture, allowing them to practice it outside of school.

            According to the education section on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, there are four divisions within the school system: state religious schools, Arab schools, Druze schools, and private schools. Additionally, as students progress, their levels of education change. Formal education consists of grades one through six, intermediate school consists of grades seven through nine, and secondary school consists of grades ten through twelve.

            In order to better understand why more religious content is getting into schools, Haaretz correspondent Yarden Skop writes an article entitled, “New School Program Will Bring Young Israelis Closer to Judaism.” As previously stated, Naftali Bennett implemented this program in April of last year. Skop’s article goes on to discuss the program in further detail, stating that each grade level will be learning a different topic or topics relating to Judaism. Topics range anywhere from biblical figures to life-cycle events.

            Parents involved in the Secular Forum agree that the public school system in Israel is trying to push more religion into state schools. Their discouragement supports the claim that not all Israeli Jews want public schooling for their children to promote Judaism.

            According to Pew Research, 96% of Jews in Israel believe that it is important for their child to receive a good general or secular education. It is important to point out that the majority of Israeli Jews in religious, ethnic and cultural groups across Israel all agree this statement.

            According to Pew Research, only 30% of Israeli Jews said that religion played a very important role in their lives. Pew Research also found that 33% or one-third of Israeli Jews say they never attend synagogue. This is an important statistic in that it supports the initial claim that not all Israeli Jews are religious.

            In Rosenthal’s book “The Israelis”, she presents several anecdotes of the lives of both secular and religious Jews living in Israel. In chapter nine, we learn about a Haredi boy named “Josh” who left the Haredi community to become secular. He grew up in a very observant household in which he obeyed Haredi laws and customs. Josh serves as a good example of an Israeli Jew who, although raised religious, is not religious today (Rosenthal 193-194).

            Another supportive piece of evidence found in Rosenthal’s book is in chapter ten which talks about Orthodox Jews. Adi Rosenfeld is a member of an Orthodox American Israeli family who, in contrast to her fiancé Moti’s family, does not live based on that label. Instead, she engages in more secular activities such as visiting museums (Rosenthal 213).

            While it is easy to just assume that all Israeli Jews are religious because they live in a state that is deeply connected to Jewish history, research shows that this is not necessarily the case.  “The Israelis” author Donna Rosenthal and Pew Research provide information that support the statement claiming not all Israeli Jews are religious. In addition to those sources, Haaretz correspondents Or Kashti and Yarden Skop provide further insight into the world of secular education in Israel. Their articles support the claim that not all Israeli Jews want public schooling for their children to promote Judaism.

A Significant Statement

Putin and Netanyahu

On April 6, Herb Keinon wrote an article for The Jerusalem Post titled, “Jpost Exclusive: MoscowSurprisingly Says West Jerusalem Is Israel's Capital.” His article covered the statement given by Russia’s Foreign Ministry. Jerusalem has never been acknowledged as the capital of Israel until recently in Russia’s statement. Negotiations regarding Palestinian-Israeli settlement have been held for years. Russia’s statement attempts to move forward with these negotiations as well as establish peace by allowing all people of belief to access the holy site of Jerusalem.

Herb Keinon has been a correspondent for The Jerusalem Post for over 30 years. His articles have covered topics such as immigration, politics, settlements, Jerusalem, and more. His bio on his website gives a brief insight as to the many experiences he has had as a journalist and lecturer, many of which have included a close-up view of some of the biggest challenges faced in the Middle East. He has also had two books published: French Fries in Pita and Lone Soldiers: Israel’s Defenders from Around the World.  

Keinon’s article mainly covers the statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry. The statement was madepublic on their website which anyone could access. Since the majority of his article includes direct quotes from the statement itself, it is safe to say the source was appropriately identified.

Keinon’s article includes a mix of direct quotes from the Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement and his own knowledge of the subject matter. For example, Keinon quotes the opening lines of the Ministry’s statement and follows it with his own statement claiming what a dramatic and unexpected change in attitude this is for Russia. Towards the later half of Kainon’s article, he only uses direct quotes from the statement but they are not followed by any of his own commentary or insight. While this does help ensure the reader is getting factual information, it does not explain why Kainon chose to quote those specific parts of the statement.

   

Keinon practically includes the full statement in his article. The first half of his article provides a general background of what was happening around the time this statement was made. In addition, he provides readers with a brief history of why this was newsworthy.

The only voices in the article are Kainon’s and the Russian Foreign Ministry’s. Kainon is stating that Russia is the only country to acknowledge Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Russia’s and Kainon’s statements are both agreeing with each other.

Keinon’s title can seem a bit misleading. It suggests that the purpose of Russia’s statement was to publically acknowledge their recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. A reader must continue to read the article to learn that there is more to it than that. Even Keinon’s subheading statement can continue the illusion that this article is only concerned with Russia’s new recognition of Israel’s capital.

Keinon’s article is significantly different than an article found in Haaretz that covers the same story. Barak Ravid of Haaretz wrote an article entitled, “Russia Says It Would RecognizeWest Jerusalem as Israeli Capital in Deal With Palestinians.” In his article, he explains that Russia’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is contingent upon an issuing of a peace agreement. Keinon’s article does include the direct quote from the statement that says this, but it is not a central focus of his article. It is mentioned briefly, unlike Ravid’s article which frequently mentions it.

Keinon’s article has a rather neutral tone. He states facts and a majority of the article is him just directly quoting the statement so they are not even his words, necessarily. The only evidence Keinon provides is Russia’s statement. 

Keinon includes a video of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. This supports his general statement that this acknowledgement was quite significant. Using this video offers a reader more of an insight into relations between Russia and Israel. Included at the top of Keinon’s article is a big photo of Netanyahu and Putin smiling at each other (above).