Hasson Apologizes for Remarks About Bedouin Women in the Negev

Ayala Hasson apologized on Monday, November 2, for hurt caused by remarks about Bedouin women in the Negev during a radio interview. In a public statement, she said she had not intended to hurt any woman and addressed anyone who had been offended. Hasson wrote: “I apologize to her from the bottom of my heart.” The apology followed comments in a Galei Israel interview in which Hasson discussed the election's “change bloc” and referred to veiled Bedouin women, polygamy and violence against women. Her remarks prompted a campaign by women who challenged the way she had described their community and political choices. Alnashmiat, a women's leadership movement, and the Itach-Maaki Bedouin Women's Rights Center organized a petition on the Zazim platform. The campaign called for condemnation of the remarks and a public apology to Bedouin women. Its organizers objected to a portrayal that they said disregarded women's aspirations, individual views and legitimate choices at the ballot box. Kan's internal ethics committee, chaired by Dr. Uri Paz, was due to convene on Monday to examine Hasson's comments and their ethical implications. The public broadcaster said it would publish the committee's conclusions after the examination. Hasson's own statement apologized for the hurt caused by the interview remarks.