The test of sisterhood

In 2003, when I introduced myself as an MP with my maiden speech in parliament, I articulated my centralist, small ‘l’ liberal principles. I argued that values are not something to be on display in the morning and forgotten in the afternoon. 

The test of your integrity is not when it is easy to apply your values. 

The true test is when it is hard. 

I feel obliged to attempt a difficult column reminding the feminist movement here, and everywhere, of our principles of inclusiveness. 

The ‘sisterhood’ is under pressure, and it is difficult to take this on, because I have felt so aligned with this movement for decades. 

It’s a movement I believed stood firm for ‘respect’, owed to every woman, no matter her race or creed. I believed they championed the creed that there is never ever any excuse for rape and humiliation. 

This loyalty to the international women’s movement is being sorely tested by their deafening silence about Israeli women raped, tortured, abducted and murdered by Hamas on October 7. 

The brutality of these crimes and the depravity of their attackers is beyond belief. I cannot even bring myself to list the details reported in Israel, which have been fully verified by footage from Hamas fighters’ own bodycams and posted on Hamas social media. 

There has been so much denial (including by feminists) that these crimes even occurred.

One example is the remains of a young woman abducted from the music festival are yet to be returned; only her severed head has been recovered. Her stricken family are campaigning for the return of all her remains, hidden by Hamas in Gaza. And yet, they have zero support from UN Women or the ‘Me Too’ movement. To say I am disappointed does not even come close. I am truly gobsmacked. 

Women in Israel are outraged by the sense of international abandonment – ironically many of them are long-time anti-war advocates for Palestine. 

For seven weeks, UN Women refused to condemn the events of October 7. Finally, they did post a social media statement acknowledging what had happened: ‘We condemn the brutal attacks by Hamas on October 7 and continue to call for the immediate and unconditional return of the hostages.’

Then the post was removed. It was replaced with a new statement omitting criticism of Hamas and solely focused on the hostages.

Israeli women have responded with a new hashtag on X (formerly Twitter) #MeToo_Unless_UR_A_Jew.

The moral cowardice of women’s groups who are deflecting the established facts of October 7 has demonstrated one thing. 

Anyone wondering how the World War II holocaust of six million Jews could possibly have happened now has their answer.

So much for the ‘left’.

At the other end of the political scale, the hard right in power in Israel – like the MPs who publicly suggest ‘nuking Gaza’ and then claim to be ‘only joking’ – are guilty of a culture that fails to respect or empower women, at terrible cost to their own citizens.

Warnings ignored?

There are staggering reports that sexism in the Israeli military led to clear warnings of the invasion being ignored. The Gaza border watchtowers are staffed by 100 per cent female soldiers, who tried unsuccessfully for weeks to convince their male bosses a major attack was being planned.

Politico reports a surveillance officer, Maya Desiatnik, stationed at Nahal Oz, went on the record saying her team made many reports of border behaviour, suggesting a border attack. 

Twenty female surveillance officers at her Nahal Oz post died on October 7. Ms Desiatnik was one of only two officers who survived being killed or abducted. 

‘It’s infuriating,’ she said. ‘We saw what was happening, we told them about it, and we were the ones who were murdered.’

While the IDF has promised these allegations will be fully investigated after the war, it raises the issue of whether October 7 and the subsequent bloodbath in Gaza could have been averted. 

I veer away from ‘conspiracies’ and suspect it is what it seems – a combination of Hamas acting alone, and Israel screwing up – overreach and arrogance are ever present on the list of reasons for almost any war. 

It saddens me to realise the costs of everyone’s failure to fully respect and listen to the women. 

I would remind feminists around the world who are pro-Palestine – we are bonded by our commitment to inclusive first principles. This applies to female citizens everywhere – not just living in places you happen to like. Human rights are emphatically universal – they exist for all. 

If ‘rights’ are selective then they are not really ‘rights’ at all. This is the profound danger for women everywhere if Jewish women are excluded from consideration – then everyone’s rights are damaged and diminished.

This awful war has victims on all sides – why is it so hard for the polar left and polar right to acknowledge that? 

♦ Catherine Cusack is a former NSW Liberal MLC.