The prime minister’s wife, Sara Netanyahu, on Sunday said she was “amazed” to learn that her husband had voted against a Knesset proposal to establish a parliamentary commission of inquiry on violence against women, and suggested that perhaps he was not fully aware of the purpose of the move.

Prime Minister Netanyahu indicated that he had voted against the idea because it was presented by opposition lawmakers. On Sunday, ministers, backed by the premier, agreed to establish a ministerial committee that would investigate the matter of violence against women.

Sara Netanyahu spoke to Hadashot TV news on Sunday, after she and her husband visited a women’s shelter during events to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

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Sara Netanyahu was asked about the prime minister’s vote against the commission proposal, which was defeated last Wednesday by 59 votes to 56.

“I heard about it for the first time today and I was amazed,” Netanyahu said. “I think he wasn’t completely aware.

“I don’t really follow these things,” she added.

Sara Netanyahu told Hadashot that she backed her husband’s declaration that he would establish a ministerial committee to tackle violence against women, and called on lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to unite in the common cause.

“I briefly heard from someone in the Prime Minister’s Office that my husband has taken upon himself responsibility for the committee,” she said. “He has my support and I intend to see this to its conclusion. I want women to no longer be in fear.

“It is a mark of Cain on society. As a society we must not reach a situation where a woman or child leaves their home in a bodybag,” Netanyahu continued. “Not enough is being done. As a society we need to denounce this. The coalition and the opposition need to unite because this is something common to all of us and it is a stain on society.”

During the Netanyahus’ visit to the women’s shelter, the prime minister was asked about last week’s Knesset vote on a commission of inquiry and appeared to say that he voted against it because “it was [proposed by] the opposition.”

Sara Netanyahu, sitting alongside the prime minister, interjected, “This is something that really should not be a matter of coalition and opposition.”

The prime minister announced Sunday that he would chair the new ministerial committee dedicated to combating domestic violence and called for “much more” to be done to counter the issue in Israel.

The opposition floated last week’s proposal for a commission of inquiry into violence against women after the government failed to deliver a plan to address the problem, as it had promised to do several weeks ago. The plan was announced due to pressure from female MKs following a series of incidents of violence against women that has seen 20 killed in 2018 by spouses or family members.