A coil of women wearing red robes and white caps, moving with their heads lowered and their hands joined, has become a foreboding fixture of the large-scale anti-government demonstrations roiling Israel, they have costumes inspired by the TV show and the dystopian book “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood.
The protesting women are becoming more numerous as opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies grows. Claim they are doing so to prevent what they see as a gloomy future if the government moves forward with its plan to reform the court.
The Handmaid‘s Tale demonstration in Israel was organized by the women’s rights advocacy group Bonot Alternativa. Which stands for “building an alternative,” supported by Moran Zer Katzenstein.
She says “Women are going to be the first to be harmed” under the overhaul.
Growing conflicts in Israel
Netanyahu’s administration is pressing to weaken the Supreme Court and restrict the independence of the judiciary moves. They claim will restore power to elected legislators and make the courts less interventionist. This move has sparked strong opposition. The decision, according to critics, upsets Israel’s system of checks and balances and moves the country closer to autocracy.
Tens of thousands of people take to the streets every week to oppose the overhaul.
The women in red robes stand out in the throng and make the otherwise ordinary protest scenes into an otherworldly sight.
A group of women dressed up and traveled in a train from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem ahead of a protest. Transforming the cars and the platform into what might have been a scene from a Hulu series. Another time, they surround a central fountain in the coastal city of Tel Aviv. which is frequently frequented by stroller-bound children and leashed dogs. In keeping with their protest persona, they have obstructed intersections while moving silently in formation.
Their jarring appearance is meant to drive home the notion that Israel. Which portrays itself as the Middle East’s lone democracy. Could morph into a chilling dystopia where women are stripped of their rights.
The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood.
Atwood’s 1985 novel is about a futuristic patriarchal society. Where the robed handmaids are forced to bear children for leaders. Which has reemerged in recent years as a cultural touchstone thanks to the popular TV series. Its themes of female subjugation and male domination have resonated with women today. In addition to who see threats in limits on abortion rights. Again in Israel’s case, in the rise of its conservative, religious government.