The scandal that erupted Feb. 29 between journalist Erel Segal and Knesset member Stav Shaffir might have offered a much-needed opportunity to clear the public air and purge it of any efforts by men to ridicule and objectify women. Instead, it turned into a debate between right and left and pitted men against women because of the way Shaffir decided to deal with her public humiliation, caused by a joke with sexual overtones made by Segal about her.
Shaffir claimed that she was sexually harassed by Segal on TV. Sexual harassment, including verbal harassment, is a crime in Israel. On the other hand, it is dubious at best if what happened during the broadcast meets the criteria of sexual harassment by law.