Surge in sexual harassment of Palestinians by Israeli forces at Hebron checkpoints

Israeli forces operating checkpoints in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron are sexually harassing Palestinians, according to recent testimonies collected by the Israeli daily Haaretz.

An Israeli soldier at the Tamar checkpoint in the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood had reportedly exposed himself to a young Palestinian woman on 17 August, after instructing her to open her bag.

He then proceeded to lower part of his trousers while making lewd comments, the report said.

"Out of shock, I left the checkpoint and didn't know what was happening, I felt as if someone had given me a slap," the woman told Haaretz.

The young woman reported the incident to local community leader Basam Abu Aisha, who then contacted a senior Israeli civil administration official, the report said.

The official accompanied her to the checkpoint, where she reportedly identified the soldier who had harassed her.

Abu Aisha claimed that a civil administration officer, Shadi Shubash, later threatened him, dismissing the young woman's testimony as a "lie" and warned him not to "get involved".

"I was exhausted and depressed by it. Now it's easier for me, but when I want to go through the checkpoint I'm afraid the same thing will happen again," the woman told Haaretz.

Israeli forces said that they had launched an investigation into the incident.

A spike in sexual harassment

Following the incident, other women also reported similar mistreatment at checkpoints across the city.

One woman said a soldier took photographs of her and her sister at the checkpoint, while another described being forced to unlock her phone by a soldier while holding her hand.

"He grabbed my hand and told me to open the phone. I told him these were my private photos, why should I open them?" she told the daily.

Many women also reported facing verbal abuse and, in some cases, being forced to remove clothing or their hijabs due to newly installed metal detectors.

A UN report in June found that Israeli authorities have systematically subjected Palestinian women and girls various forms of sexual violence, including forced nudity, public stripping, sexualised torture and harassment.

"These acts were intended to humiliate and degrade the victims and the Palestinian community at large, by perpetuating gender stereotypes that create a sense of shame, subordination, emasculation and inferiority," the report said.