Sheryl Sandberg to ‘Post’: Weaponized rape should never ‘be tolerated, ever’

PARIS – Former Meta Platforms chief operating officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg participated Tuesday evening at an event hosted by the French National Assembly in Paris, calling on the world to recognize and condemn sexual assaults by Hamas terrorists against Israeli and Jewish women on October 7.

Hosted by the President of the French-Israeli parliamentarian friendship group Mathieu Lefevre, under the patronage of the National Assembly’s President Yael Braun-Pivet, the Paris gathering offered French decision-makers the opportunity to hear testimonies on the atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct. 7 and after.

The French parliamentarians met with Sandberg, IDF reservist Shari Mendes, Israel Police representative Mirit Ben Mayor, and Israeli psychologist Sharon Gal Van-Raalte. Mendes belongs to the army unit that treats the bodies of the victims of the October 7 massacre, all of which were brought to the Shura base for identification following the attack. Ben Mayor worked for several years as a prosecutor, and Gal Van-Raalte heads a mental health Clinic.

“I’m here today in Paris because it is so important that everyone all over the world, particularly parliaments, where decisions are made and laws are enacted, for people to realize what happened on Oct. 7.

“What is happening now globally, and particularly in the Middle East, is a tragedy. Every life lost anywhere is a tragedy. But this is a tragedy that has very deep implications for women. It has only been 30 years since the world started persecuting rape as the war crime and crime against humanity that it is. And I want to make sure that even with the polarization of our time, even with all the strong feelings going on in the Middle East, everyone remains united in recognizing that rape should never be tolerated, anywhere. Ever,” Sandberg told The Jerusalem Post minutes before the French National Assembly meeting started.

Sandberg said she feels that since her speech last December, and since the public campaign against the silence on Hamas’s sexual attacks was launched, things have shifted for the better. “At first, there was real silence. If you look at what has happened since that UN meeting that [Israeli] Ambassador [to the UN] Gilad Erdan organized, the New York Times has done a great and wonderful job reporting [on the scope of the attacks]. They came out today again, and they (NYT) were defending their work.

UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict arrives in Israel

“We have seen one of the UN investigators come to Israel this week. We have seen two UN experts come out and say that these are war crimes, and they might even be crimes against humanity, which are of a higher bar. So I do think the world’s opinion is now starting to change. It’s too long and too slow. We have a long road ahead of us to prove these crimes, and so we have to welcome everyone who starts speaking out about it, even if it takes a little bit longer than we would like.

“Polarization clouds people’s judgment,” she continued. “People are confusing what is happening, but our message is very clear: Rape is not resistance, rape is not freedom fighting, sexual violence is not resistance, sexual violence is not freedom fighting. Rape and sexual violence should not be used, anywhere. In peace, at war, anytime.’’

The resounding silence on the sexual violence of Hamas was incredibly deafening, she noted but said that “nevertheless, I do believe things are changing. Women are speaking out. Also, Israel is deeply investigating these crimes. Again, I think the New York Times has done a very good job, of putting forward proofs.  I think there is too much evidence to be ignored.”

Addressing the visit of senior UN official Parmila Patten to this week in Israel, Sandberg noted that her arrival is unprecedented, and extremely important: “My understanding is that she is meeting with first-hand witnesses, with police who are running the investigation. So I am hopeful that the truth will come out, and people will believe.”

Sandberg hailed the engagement of French female politicians in the campaign to raise awareness of Hamas’s sexual violence. “I am heartened by the countries I am visiting – France, London, Germany, People want to hear witnesses. French parliament president Yael Braun-Pivet hosted us at her private residence today, with representatives of every political party participating, listening attentively, wanting to hear. Tonight, after a vote, after a late day, she is hosting this public forum, so I believe people want to listen, and I am very grateful for her leadership and her commitment to making sure the world is a safer place for women.”

Sandberg praised the leadership of women on this issue, which was evident already 30 years ago, in ex-Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and other places.

Speaking at the podium of the French National Assembly, Sandberg said “Bloodshed is never the answer. The only answer can be creating lasting peace… but we must not forget what happened four months ago… rape and sexual violence were how they [Hamas] achieved these objectives [of destroying and annihilating Israel]… Rape should never be used as an act of war.’’

Sandberg added that “a Hamas spokesperson has insisted [that] rape is forbidden. Do we believe him or the amounting evidence?” We must amplify the voices of the experts calling to prosecute these crimes.”

Barun-Pivet, who arrived in Israel shortly after Oct. 7 on a solidarity visit, stated clearly that “it is important not to let it go. To keep watch. What happened on October 7, must be remembered constantly,” she told the audience. “We cannot let people use the body of women for political purposes, as if we, women, were objects, a lifeless material to which one can do the worst things imaginable. And the worst things imaginable were indeed committed, and continue to be perpetrated,” she warned.