The committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality convened on Tuesday to bid farewell to outgoing Committee Chair MK Pnina Tameno Shete (Blue and White—National Unity Party).
Outgoing Chair MK Tameno Shete opened the meeting by addressing the issue of the hostages, saying “Along with the excitement of concluding such a meaningful role, I want to begin with the mission of bringing all the hostages home for the families who need closure. It has already been said that when you save a living hostage, you save the hostage, but when you return someone who has fallen – you save the family and return pieces of the heart to its place.”
MK Tameno Shete said she had entered the post of committee chair in January 2023, filled with excitement and a strong sense of mission. “At that time, I never imagined that as part of my role, I would be dealing with the rights of Israeli women during our most painful period as women, mothers, daughters, and sisters,” she said. “Since the October 7 attack, and throughout the entire Swords of Iron war, I met in the committee with heroic women and female combatants possessing extraordinary resilience in the most painful moments.”
MK Tameno Shete recounted that the committee’s meetings during her tenure as chair were attended by survivors of the October 7 massacre, former hostages, families of kidnapped individuals, widows of Israeli heroes, mothers and wives of the wounded, reserve soldiers’ wives, and many others. “During the war, the committee played a central role in bringing their struggles, voices, and needs to the forefront, amidst the war,” she said. “Throughout this time, it was important to me, as chairperson, that the committee serve as a central home for them in the decision-making arena and in the Israeli parliament. We made an effort to give most of the space to voices from the ground, and to connect the committee’s actions in a way that best reflects the issues requiring assistance and treatment in this time of crisis. Thank God, I can say with a full heart that together we managed to lead to many solutions and responses, some of which are changing realities.”
Knesset Secretary General Dan Marzouk congratulated the outgoing committee chair, and said “You succeeded in elevating the committee’s status and positioning it where it belongs. The committee played an important role in parliamentary oversight during the war. It managed to focus on the issues it addressed, such as female captives, commemoration, and the treatment of the wounded. One of the most important sessions held in the Knesset after October 7 was in the committee, initiated by you, in the presence of many ambassadors from around the world, and for that, thank you.”
Incoming Committee Chair MK Meirav Cohen (Yesh Atid) said, “I have gone through the meeting summaries. I am taking over the committee under challenging conditions because the working period will be short in any possible scenario, and therefore we will need to make the most of the time available to us. The issue of violence against women is the most important matter before us, and I intend to share the management of the committee with other female MKs. The more we cooperate, the more we will accomplish in a short amount of time.”
Shay Dickmann, the cousin of Carmel Gat, who was murdered in Hamas captivity, said “Pnina, you dared to touch the pain with our broken hearts and give a voice to the unbearable testimonies of women who endured abuse. You would call these women at all hours of the day to give them the strength to speak here. […] You see those who are in need and whose voices are not heard, and the way you show this compassion – it’s not pity, it’s compassion that sees the struggle and empowers other women.”
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