MK Eichler says women should be able to refuse to sit next to men on flights

this is funny. MK Yisroel Eichler has a brilliant mind and knows how to turn things around from the way people usually look at issues. His approach here is hilarious, but also brilliant. The only problem is that he is disingenuous, acting as if he is concerned for womens rights, when he (and his peers from UTJ by policy) normally ignore and stay away from discussions in Knesset that are specific to women's issues.

From INN:

Knesset Ombudsman's Committee Chairman MK Yisrael Eichler (United Torah Judaism) has asked EL AL to allow women to change their places on the plane so as not to sit next to men if that is their personal choice.
During a discussion on El Al's recent Shabbat flight fiasco, Eichler raised the issue of changing seats on El Al flights. "There are women whose rights are being trampled by the fact that they're forced to sit next to men. They want to sit apart and must be allowed to."
MK Eichler emphasized to El Al representatives at the meeting that "A woman has a right not to sit next to a man. It should be important to El Al for a woman to be able to ask, 'I want a place that's not next to a man.' Women have rights."

Eichler hasn't gotten anywhere fighting for the right of men to demand to not be seated next to women on flights, so he is now turning it around and saying that it is a woman's right to not have to sit next to a man..

Even if his new perspective works, and maybe the #METOO movement could adopt the issue in some way, this will only help him in a very limited way. Most single travelers from the hassidic or haredi community are likely to be men, though surely there is some percentage of single travelers that are Haredi/Hassidic women. Most of the time it is men asking to be moved, and they often ask women to switch seats. It is rarely women asking to be moved, though it does happen (I saw it happen on a flight last year, and I dont travel much). So even if his argument is accepted, it will only help a little, but it might set a precedent.

I don't get why he directs his comments to El Al. El Al is a private company just like Delta, United, Turkish Air and all the others. He should be insisting all the airlines allow it.

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