Tens of thousands of protesters marched in Tel Aviv on Tuesday against what they see as the government's inadequate response to violence against women.
Red-capped demonstrators called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "wake up" and carried signs reading "Women's blood is not cheap" and "We're being killed and the government is silent."
Organizers of the nationwide protests want the government to implement a $67 million plan it promised last year to combat violence against women. At least 24 women were killed in Israel this year, most of whom were known to the police prior to their deaths as having filed domestic violence complaints and stating they feared for their safety.
"We had to do something radical, to make sure that women in Israel show the government that we are not going to take this anymore," said Ruti Klein, a protest organizer.
"We made history. Now it's clear to all [men and women] – women determine the agenda in the country. We made it clear that we will not continue being at the bottom of the government's priorities … and that the power is in our hands," event organizers said.
Netanyahu came under fire last week after a visit to a women's shelter, where he was called out for voting against a proposal to establish a parliamentary commission of inquiry into violence against women.
Dozens of major Israeli corporations and municipalities supported Tuesday's strike by paying women who took leave. The protests cut across Israeli society's many divides. Religious and secular Israelis, Arabs and Jews attended protests in every major city across the country.
In Tel Aviv, activists filled Habima Square with some 200 shoes dyed red meant to symbolize violence against women.
In Jerusalem, protesters splattered red paint on a street littered with signs bearing the names of dozens of women killed.
Hundreds of students and staff from Haifa University also took to the streets.
"This is an intolerable reality and it is incumbent on all of us to make our voices heard," said Prof. Leah Wittenberg.
In southern Israel, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev President Professor Rivka Carmi said at a local rally: "Everyone has a basic right to life. This is something we can all say very loudly and with great conviction, and also demand that our government take responsibility for this matter."
Kefaia, 42, an Israeli Arab woman who joined the protests, said her husband was sentenced to only five months in prison for trying to stab her to death and that she fears for her safety when he is released next week. She declined to give her last name for fear he would retaliate against her.
"I've been scared to talk for so long, because these topics are really sensitive in the Arab community," she said. "But I can't be silent anymore."
Itai Meyrovsky, 25, told Israel Hayom, "As a guy, I don't feel like a minority here. I came spontaneously because a demonstration is a joyous event. But this is an important matter. That so many women have been murdered since the beginning of the year shows our attitude as a nation, and it's sad and unacceptable. I don't know what the solution is, but men need to understand that a woman is not like 50 years ago, that today a woman is of equal value in every regard."
