Femicide and Femicide-Suicide in Israel: The Role of Immigration and the Cultural Context.

Abstract

Homicide-suicide is a violent crime primarily committed within intimate relationships. Although increasing attention is being paid to femicide-suicide, there is limited comparative evidence about this crime. This article examines the differences and similarities in offender and victim characteristics between two types of femicide, femicide-suicide and femicide, among various social groups in Israel. The sample comprised all incidents of femicide and femicide-suicide (145) between 2005 and 2015. The analysis indicates that immigration plays a key role in both femicide and femicide-suicide. Femicide-suicide rates were significantly higher among immigrants than among Israeli-native Jews and Arabs. A significant relationship was found between femicide type and the method used to commit the crime: the likelihood that a firearm was used in femicide-suicide cases was 11.08 times higher than in femicide cases. The discussion focuses on the theoretical and practical implications of these findings and suggests prevention strategies.