Many Israelis were rightfully angry at the statements made by Rania, Queen of Jordan, who doubted the authenticity of the atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists and even said that there was no evidence that Israeli children were beheaded. Queen Rania aside, Israel is currently waging a diplomatic battle against another Jordanian official, Dr. Sima Bahous, executive director of United Nations Women. Ever since the war broke out on October 7, United Nations Women has completely disregarded the Israeli women victims who were abducted, raped, tortured, butchered and murdered by Hamas.
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In Israel, officials claim that Bahous, who previously served as the media advisor to King Abdullah of Jordan, simply "hijacked" the UN Women's Organization, and due to her Jordanian identity completely diverted its attention from Israel. The tweets posted by the organization focus on the suffering of the women in Gaza but not a word about the suffering of the Israeli women.
Last week, Amir Weissbrod, deputy director general for UN and International Organizations Division, met with the representatives of the main donors to UN Women, including Canada, Sweden, Finland, South Korea and Spain, and demanded that they re-examine their funding of UN Women on the basis of its one-sided approach. Weissbrod presented an unequivocal Israeli demand for Bahous' dismissal. "Blatant disregard for Israeli women is neither impartial nor neutral. She should resign," Weissbrod posted on the X platform.
An analysis conducted by the Foreign Ministry shows that out of dozens of X posts by Bahous and her organization, there were zero condemnations of Hamas. There were 12 posts against Israel; 25 posts about the 'shocking' humanitarian situation in Gaza and only five supposedly balanced posts. The Foreign Ministry concluded: All the organization's posts are one-sided, without any mention of Hamas; Almost zero posts in the first week of the war; The posts about the humanitarian situation in Gaza put the full responsibility on Israel without mentioning that Hamas started the war.
Bahous also paid a visit to the UNWRA offices in Amman to express her condolences for the death of the organization's personnel from the IDF attacks in Gaza. She did not pay a condolence visit to one of the Israeli embassies. A look at her X account, gives the impression that what interests her is almost exclusively Palestinian women. Israeli women are not on the agenda.
On the website of the organization, there are three articles from Gaza and zero from Israel on the cover: the conflict in Gaza; voices from Gaza; and the story of Noran's survival in the face of the aerial bombardments. While women and girls in Gaza receive calls for support and donations, there is total disregard for Israeli women.
Following the Israeli campaign, the UN Women Organization tried to be a little more balanced. On November 22, Bahous welcomed the release of 50 Israeli hostages, all of them children and women, and the release of 150 "Palestinian women and children," without mentioning that the latter were terrorists convicted of stabbings and attempted attacks.
Finally, the organization's representatives agreed for the first time to meet with Israeli women's organizations. The Foreign Ministry says that this is only lip service and that a much more fundamental change is needed.
Approximately 100 people came to protest in front of the UN mission in Jerusalem to cry out and protest against the silence of women's organizations in the world on Monday. "The world is silent, the world does not condemn, the world does not empathize," said Orit Soliciano, director of the Israeli Association of Rape Crisis Centers, who came to the demonstration.
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Sima Bahous remains silent on Israeli victims of sexual violence and war crimes
(Photo: Israeli Association of Rape Crisis Centers)
Labor Party chairperson Merav Michaeli attacked the women's organizations around the world that ignore the atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists on October 7. "This is a crazy betrayal not only of women in Israel - but of women in the world," Michaeli said in an interview with Ynet. "Now it's Israeli women but who next won't meet their standards as women?"