Why Does Israel Protect Domestic Abusers Instead of Women?

Alright, let’s talk about something Israel doesn’t want to talk about. Something that gets buried under headlines about war, security, and national defense. Something that, quite frankly, exposes the rot at the core of Israel’s justice system.

Israel loves to brand itself as a beacon of democracy and security in the Middle East. But when it comes to protecting women and children from abuse, the government’s actions—or lack thereof—send a clear message: it does not care.

And this isn’t just rhetoric. The numbers don’t lie.

Nearly 142,000 women in Israel were physically abused by their partners last year alone. That’s 5.3% of all Israeli women. Picture a packed stadium full of women. More than one in 20 of them is living in terror.

Now let’s talk about law enforcement. Because in a country obsessed with security, you’d think there’d be serious consequences for men who beat their wives, right? Wrong.

That means three out of four women—who endure the trauma of reporting their abuser, who beg for protection—are told: Sorry, we can’t help you.

It gets worse.

Over 14,000 restraining orders were issued in Israel last year. Yet in nearly half of those cases, police failed to enforce them.

Let me put it plainly: Israeli law enforcement knows where violent men are. They know who the threats are. And still, women die.

24 women were murdered by their partners or relatives in 2022. That’s two women every month, murdered. Dead because Israel refused to protect them.

And then we get to the legislative betrayal.

In March 2023, the Knesset had the chance to pass a law that could have saved lives—a bill that would have required electronic monitoring for men with restraining orders. It was simple: if you’re a known abuser, you get an ankle bracelet so the police can track you. But Ben-Gvir—Israel’s so-called “law and order” minister—killed it. His reason?

That the law was “unfair to men.”

Unfair. To men.

In a country where 24 women were murdered by their partners in a single year, the government was worried about being “unfair” to their killers.

The outcry was massive. So, months later, a watered-down version of the law was passed—but with so many legal loopholes that it barely applies to anyone. Now, only men with a prior conviction or an open indictment can be tracked—meaning most abusers will never be monitored. It’s not a law. It’s a PR stunt.

And let’s talk about money. Because if you’re assuming Israel at least invests in helping domestic abuse survivors, you’d be dead wrong.

In 2021, the Israeli government allocated 55 million shekels (around $17 million USD) to combat domestic violence. That’s less than 0.01% of Israel’s national budget.

Meanwhile, the country spent over $23 billion on military defense that same year.

Israel will drop billions on fighter jets, but won’t fund shelters for battered women.

There are only 14 shelters in all of Israel for domestic violence victims. That’s it. For a country of 9 million people.

And what happens to the survivors? There is no financial assistance program for them. No emergency housing. No structured way to help them rebuild. Many end up homeless. Many are forced to return to their abusers out of desperation.

And here’s where it gets really uncomfortable.

We need to talk about who is most affected by this.

According to the Welfare and Social Affairs Ministry, Arab and Mizrahi (Middle Eastern Jewish) women in Israel are murdered at disproportionately higher rates than Ashkenazi (European Jewish) women.

A 2017 study found that Arab women in Israel are three times more likely to be murdered by their husbands than Jewish women.

And before anyone starts screaming “racism” for bringing this up, this is not speculation—it’s statistical fact.

So why does this keep happening? Because for far too long, the Israeli government has shrugged its shoulders and said, That’s just how it is in those communities.

Let’s be very clear.

If 24 women were murdered by Hamas in a single year, the entire country would be in an uproar. The government would be moving heaven and earth to ensure it never happened again.

But because these murders happen inside homes, behind closed doors, no one cares.

And the ultimate slap in the face?

Let me repeat that: Men with open criminal indictments—including for domestic abuse—can still legally work with kids.

My abuser—who is under criminal indictment—can still be around children.

And nobody in the government seems to have a problem with that.

So What Needs to Change?

This isn’t just a broken system. This is a system that was never designed to protect women in the first place.

Here’s what Israel must do:

Israel loves to talk about security. But women and children? They don’t get security. They don’t get justice.

They get ignored.

Until this country decides to choose women over their abusers, let’s call it what it is—every woman murdered by her partner has blood on the hands of the system that failed her.