A male-dominated electoral campaign has highlighted how easily women are kept to the side in Israeli politics.

Politicians’ faces are everywhere. On billboards, on fliers, on television.

This Israeli election season, however, something is missing: women.

The steady increase in the percentage of women in Israel’s parliament has not been accompanied by a similar rise in their cabinet representation.

In February 1969, Golda Meir was appointed fourth prime minister of the State of Israel, thus becoming one of the first women in the democratic world to serve in her country’s highest political office. Despite this achievement, however, the inclusion of women in Israel’s cabinets is far from impressive.

Female politicians made history this week in Israel with a record of at least 11 women chosen to head cities and local councils across the country, five more than in the previous municipal elections. Six additional female candidates will contest run-off votes in other councils and towns, where no candidate managed to reach the 40 percent threshold.

By Charlotte England

Out of 32 female members of Israel's parliament, called the Knesset, 28 say they have been sexually harassed or assaulted, and at least two say those experiences occurred in the Knesset itself, according to a new survey by an Israeli television channel.