Netanyahu stand comes after committee suggests allowing multiple marriages in exceptional circumstances
By TOI STAFF 10 July 2018,
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed not to allow any polygamy in Israel, as a ministerial committee recommended allowing multiple wives in exceptional circumstances.
“I am not prepared to accept any polygamy in the State of Israel and this was my directive to the ministerial committee that is discussing the matter,” Netanyahu tweeted on Monday.
The committee, headed by Justice Minister Ayalet Shaked, was tasked with making recommendations for ending polygamy, which has been illegal in Israel since 1977 but is still widespread, particularly among the Bedouin population.
While there are a handful of Jewish and Muslim men with more than one wife, the phenomenon is widespread among Bedouin. A Bedouin member of Knesset, Taleb Abu Arar, is openly married to two wives.
According to Channel 10 news, there are over 6,000 men with two or more wives in Israel, and 18.5 percent of Bedouin families are polygamous.
Although illegal, the law against polygamy is rarely enforced as many such marriages are not registered by Israel’s population authorities. The Israel Police has also been reluctant to intervene in what is perceived as a deep-rooted cultural and religious practice, primarily found among the Bedouin.
Among the committee’s 84 recommendations were creating greater awareness and running campaigns among the Bedouin community by its religious leaders.
Controversially, the committee also suggested that in exceptional circumstances polygamy should be permitted — for example, for a man whose wife is barren, or whose wife suffers from a serious illness. It also recommended that polygamy should be permitted in cases when husband and wife have been estranged for long periods of time.
The government will have to decide which of the recommendations to accept, but Netanyahu strongly rejected any possibility of allowing polygamy.
“This is a violation of the status of women, exploitation of women and also undermines the demographic balance in Israel by importing wives,” he tweeted. “This is unacceptable to me. In addition to strengthening the weaker segments of Bedouin society we must ensure strong enforcement.”
The penalty for polygamy is a five-year jail term and fine. Someone who conducts a polygamous wedding could face a six-month sentence, but these criminal penalties are rarely enforced.
In 2017 police investigated 260 cases of suspected polygamy, but only 12 indictments were issued, Channel 10 reported.
Last year, the cabinet gave its backing to a plan to provide welfare, health, and social services to women and children in polygamous marriages in Israel, incorporate anti-bigamy education in the Israeli school system, and create outreach programs in a bid to raise awareness of the phenomenon.
@ Hugo Schmidt-Fischer:
I would amend the Social security payments to be paid as usual to all valid claimants, except for children of known polygamists, and a careful scrutiny to make sure that any “divorce”, thus making the householder monogamous, and therefore a valid claimant, would be followed literally on their heels to see what actual connection there would be between them.
The women are not at fault, they are helplessly trapped in this age-old female slavery and children producing factory of the primitive Arab. And more so in civilised Israel where free money and other goodies are given for produced children.
Edgar G. Said:
Proposal for reform:
1) Social security allowances for children are cancelled, for all citizens.
2) In order to offset this loss, wage earners that are supporting children up until age 18 or if the children are studying a commercial trade until age 28, such parents will receive a reduction in their deduction for social security.
3) The deduction will be equal to 2% of the parent(s)’net earnings from work.
4) For studying children this extension is contingent of the child having served a full 3 year term in the IDF.
5) Politically brokered special sweet deals resulting in shortened periods of net service at the IDF such as for yeshiva students, late enrollees into the army, so-called combat Hesder students, alternative social volunteering, their parents are all excluded from the extended social security deduction for studying children after age 18.
Moreover, the Ministry of Interior Affairs will carefully review all residents, revoking permits for unlawful residents.
So, if a man’s wife is “barren” he should be able to take another wife at the same time? Forget about adoption, right? That’s loony. That’s not an exceptional circumstance. Israel is either an advanced Western country or its a primitive backwater, it can’t be both.
“To raise awareness of the problem”…they are mashugga..are they only now opening their eyes.??…..”a religious practice”. THAT’S a lie. All primitive peoples were polygamous because there were more women, also some men were strong enough to grab more than their share.
Also, haven’t we all seen that these strange sects that start up all over the US seem to have a strong leader who has his choice of wives, both his and those of others. Some religious practice….
And I’d bet that those figures and the percentage of 18.5 is far too low, maybe double or treble it.
How did 8500 Bedouin become over 420,000 in 70 years. And considering how many are unregistered as the report says, there could be well over 500,000
When I was younger I knew nothing about anything….sooo.. I lost my chance to start a religion like that..