Netanyahu attacks bus segregation

Political and religious leaders have been speaking out against ultra-Orthodox Jewish men trying to shunt Israeli women to the back of the bus.

Their outrage was prompted by a woman's account of how an ultra-Orthodox man unsuccessfully tried to force her to leave her front seat on a bus to Jerusalem. She posted her experience on Facebook, and it became a cause célèbre in the media.

Israel's Supreme Court outlawed the practice last December, but it persists on some buses.

The Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke out against gender segregation at the weekly cabinet meeting. "Fringe groups must not be allowed to tear apart our common denominator," he said. "We must preserve public space as open and safe for all citizens of Israel."

AP