Israeli judge, Nissim Yeshaya, resigns after controversial ‘some girls like to be raped’ comment
An Israeli judge has resigned from his post as the chairman of an appeals committee after controversial comments made during a hearing this week, according to a Haaretz report today.
Judge Emeritus Nissim Yeshaya is leaving his post as chairman of an appeals committee after he said that “some girls like to be raped” at a rape appeal court meeting.
The case, an appeal of a teenager to get the Defense Ministry to recognize her as a victim of terror activity, now 19 years’ old, who was raped six years ago by four Palestinian youths near the West Bank’s Hizma roadblock, close to Jerusalem.
Yeshaya apologized and said the remark was taken out of context; however, decided to resign after much public criticism, including from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who called Yeshaya’s comment “unacceptable”.
The comment prompted Netanyahu to withdraw his support for Yeshaya candidacy for the presidency of the Likud party’s court.
The Jerusalem Post describes the court scene Monday:
On Monday, the girl appealed the Defense Ministry’s decision not to acknowledge the rape as a terrorist attack at the Tel Aviv District Court.
“In the heat of the discussion, he [Yeshaya] suddenly said out loud ‘some girls like to be raped,'” attorney Roni Sdovnik told Army Radio.
His comment was met with stunned silence in the courtroom, Sdovnik said. “He didn’t even understand what he was saying, he didn’t understand why everyone were silent.”
The court said in a statement that the judge’s comments “were not intended to hurt or disrespect rape victims. The judge apologizes for his comment.”
Yeshaya retired from his seat on the Tel Aviv District Court at age 65 in 2009, after 20 years of service in the position.