ISGAP hosts landmark symposiums at Cambridge and the UK parliament on antisemitism and sexual violence

The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) last week concluded a series of landmark symposiums in the United Kingdom, addressing the intersection of antisemitism, sexual violence, and the global feminist movement’s response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Held at the Woolf Institute, University of Cambridge and the House of Commons, British Parliament the events brought together leading scholars, policymakers, and survivors to highlight the glaring silence of feminist and human rights organizations regarding Hamas’s gender-based violence against Israeli women.

The symposiums, convened ahead of International Women’s Day, aimed to amplify the urgent need for recognition and justice for victims. The House of Commons event engaged policymakers in discussions on how governments can work to formally recognize Hamas’s sexual violence as war crimes under international law.

During the symposiums, Dr. Charles Asher Small, Executive Director of ISGAP, criticized the failure of feminist and human rights organizations to condemn the sexual violence committed by Hamas: “The fact that international women’s organizations and feminist groups have been overwhelmingly silent about the horrific rapes and acts of sexual violence committed on October 7th is not only disturbing—it is a moral failure.”

At the House of Commons event, Baroness Verma, Ministerial Champion for Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Overseas, echoed these concerns, calling for an end to selective activism: “We cannot allow political bias to determine which victims of sexual violence deserve justice. If we do, we undermine everything the feminist movement has fought for.”

The symposiums featured Natalie Sanandaji, a survivor of the October 7th pogrom and Public Affairs Officer at the Combat Antisemitism Movement, who delivered a harrowing account of the atrocities committed against Israeli women: “As a survivor, I am forced to relive that day, not just because of the trauma, but because of the silence that followed. When women from other conflicts suffer, the world listens. But when Israeli women are raped and murdered, the world turns away.”

Her testimony underscored the psychological impact of both the attacks and the global indifference that followed, reinforcing the need for broader recognition and action.

Prominent legal scholar Dr. Yifat Biton, President of Achva Academic College and Co-Founder of Tmura, challenged the politicization of human rights activism, urging an end to the selective advocacy within feminist circles: “We must ask ourselves: Why have feminist movements abandoned their own principles when it comes to Jewish women? Is there a hierarchy of victims? Are some women more worthy of justice than others?”

Manel Msalmi, ISGAP Researcher and President of the European Association for the Defense of Minorities, who chaired the Cambridge event, emphasized the need for consistency in feminist advocacy: “Feminism cannot be conditional. If we believe in justice for all women, then we must also stand against the atrocities committed against Israeli women. Anything less is not feminism—it is hypocrisy.”

The House of Commons event engaged policymakers in discussions on how governments can work to formally recognize Hamas’s sexual violence as war crimes under international law. ISGAP is committed to advancing policy recommendations aimed at ensuring justice for the victims.

Dr. Charles Asher Small (pictured) concluded by emphasizing the broader human rights implications of failing to confront this issue: “This is not just an Israeli issue—it is a human rights issue. If we allow antisemitism to shape our responses to crimes against women, we set a dangerous precedent for all human rights advocacy.”

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