Women Strip For Israeli Prime Minister

Security measures are implemented to protect people from harm, but when journalists are forced to remove their undergarments, we question the necessity of such a breach of privacy.

The security team of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently forced female journalists to take off their bras before attending press events, according to an ABC News report.

Unfortunately, women have been subjected to this embarrassing and questionable procedure before. This past January, Najwan Simri Diab, a reporter for Al Jazeera, attended Netanyahu’s annual reception for foreign journalists at the David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem and was asked to take off one piece of clothing after the other by Shin Bet security officers. Diab, who was pregnant at the time, drew the line at taking off her bra.

They may have apologized for the “bra-gate” incident, but it appears that they didn’t really mean it. The Israeli security forces are now involved in the controversial practice of regularly asking women to take off their bras, at times in front of everyone.

“This type of treatment is unnecessary, humiliating and counterproductive,” said a Foreign Press Association statement. “In the past two days, three female reporters in separate incidents were forced to undress, remove their bras and have them placed through an X-ray machine in front of a group of colleagues.”

The security officers may be doing what they believe to be in their job descriptions, but the high level of suspicion towards journalists is nothing less than outrageous. I really can’t see any circumstance where a pregnant woman should be stripped down to her undershirt and trousers and be searched for 15 minutes.

If these are the conditions of getting into a press event, women should be warned beforehand so they’re not humiliated on the spot. They should also be taken into a private room if taking off their bra is part of the security procedure.

Under the threat of terrorism we must take all precautions, but come on. I highly doubt that any journalist is hiding machine gun jubblies.

Contact the author here: tinybart@morningquickie.com