In Israel, an alleged gang rape of a 16-year-old girl by 30 young men in the seaside resort of Eilat has caused an uproar. In Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other cities there were spontaneous demonstrations on Thursday evening in support of young people and against sexual violence against women.
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The teenager is said to have been raped by around 30 men in a hotel in Eilat on the Red Sea last week. The case only became known through media reports on Thursday. According to this, the girl had been lying drunk in a hotel room while 30 young men were waiting in front of the door to rape them one after the other.
The teenager left according to the British BBC went to the police in Eilat last week and reported the young men. The police arrested two suspects, as confirmed by the Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.
Case brings back memories of alleged gang rape in Cyprus
Numerous Israeli politicians expressed indignation. “It’s shocking, there is no other word for it,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is not just a “crime against a young girl, but a crime against humanity”. The perpetrators would have to be brought to justice.
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President Reuven Rivlin published an open letter to Israeli youth on online networks in which he sharply condemned alleged gang rape and sexual violence.
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The case brings back memories in Israel of a case in Cyprus that made headlines last year: A 19-year-old British woman accused twelve Israelis between the ages of 15 and 18 of raping her in a hotel. However, the young woman later withdrew the rape allegations – and was sentenced to a four-month suspended sentence for a false statement. The case had sparked protests in Britain and Israel.
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