There are thousands of selfies and video clips of the barbaric Hamas terrorists presenting the torture, rape, beheading and murder of women, and yet Israel has to convince the world that something terrible happened on October 7. The massacre in the south of the country proves that #MeToo does not apply to Jewish women. Anywhere else the #MeToo movement would have taken action, but in Israel the women have received no support. Once Israel is involved, all international organizations become blind to reality. No matter what they normally advocate for, as soon as it comes to Israel, everything changes.
Dr. Sima Sam Bahous, who has been Executive Director of UN Women since September 2021, ignores the horror scenes in Israel and prefers to focus on the suffering of Palestinian women. “She is not neutral and should resign,” demands Israel. This Jordanian woman and the organization she heads ignore the massacre perpetrated by Palestinian terrorists, and even more so the hellish suffering of Israeli women on that Black Shabbat. Although its mission is to protect and advocate for the rights of women and children worldwide, UN Women has a problem with Israeli women. What can one expect when even Jordan’s Queen Rania questions the atrocities of the barbaric Hamas terrorists in television interviews, and even claims that there is no evidence of the beheading of Israeli children? Rania is a Palestinian herself and has never shown any sympathy for the Israeli side.
Israeli international law and women’s rights experts have set up a commission of inquiring into the Hamas crimes against women and children on October 7, in an effort to draw international attention to the many documented cases of rape and sexual violence from that accursed day. The commission’s meeting with UN Women last week was the first time the United Nations mission, which again advocates for the rights of women and children, met with Israeli representatives since the terrorist invasion in the south. After the meeting, which she described as an important, painful and meaningful encounter, commission member and expert in international law and human rights Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy stated that “this is just the beginning.” She stressed that “we will continue to hear the voices of the victims, demand the return of the hostages and collect and document all information about what happened.”
It’s about time.
After weeks of silence, that has fueled hatred campaigns around the world, about the atrocities that women have suffered – UN secretary general calls for investigation of sexual violence crimes committed by Hamas during October 7th
“There are numerous accounts… pic.twitter.com/pAxNXI6vuP
— Cochav Elkayam-Levy (@CochavElkayam) November 29, 2023
An analysis conducted by the Israeli Foreign Ministry shows that there were no condemnations of Hamas in dozens of tweets from Bahous or UN Women. In contrast, they posted more than 12 times against Israel, and in 25 tweets highlighted the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. There were five supposedly ‘balanced’ tweets – just to be fair. The Foreign Ministry insisted all of her tweets were one-sided, without any mention or criticism of Hamas. There were almost no posts in the first week of the war, and all posts about the humanitarian situation in Gaza placed full responsibility on Israel without mentioning Hamas’s responsibility for the situation.
There is nothing about Israel on the official website of UN Women, only three articles from the Gaza Strip. The conflict in Gaza, voices from Gaza and the story of Palestinian survivors in the face of Israeli airstrikes. There is also an appeal for donations to protect and support women and their families in the Gaza Strip. About Israel – for those wondering – zero, nothing.
In the course of the hostage releases, UN Women tried to be a little more balanced, and so on November 22 it praised the hostage agreement and the release of 50 Israeli captives, all children and women, as well as the release of 150 “Palestinian women and children” without mentioning that they had all been convicted on terrorism charges, including attempted murder. Three days later, Sister Bahous tweeted: “I welcome the release of women and children as part of the humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. The UN Women’s Organization once again calls for a humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and the protection of all women and girls, from all forms of violence, and a just peace for Israel and Palestine.”
“Every act of violence against women and girls, including sexual violence, is unequivocally condemned and must be fully investigated with the utmost priority.”
– @unwomenchief during her brief to the #SecurityCouncil.
Full brief: https://t.co/V7EBYhhBMC pic.twitter.com/H2x47J0KZV
— UN Women (@UN_Women) November 27, 2023
But Israel is not giving up in the face of this hypocrisy. Last week, Amir Weissbrod, head of the Middle East department of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, met with the ambassadors of the most important donor countries to UN Women. Along with a picture of the meeting, Weissbrod wrote on X that Sima Bahous had disrespected Israeli women and belittled their suffering, and must resign.
Today I met with ambassadors & delegates of major donor countries to @UN_Women, a @UN agency that systematically ignores Israeli women.
Sima Bahous @unwomenchief blatant disregard for Israeli women is neither impartial nor neutral.
❗She should resign. pic.twitter.com/lgv06yXMYV
— Ambassador Amir Weissbrod 🎗️ (@AmirwWeissbrod) November 23, 2023
