The top United Nations Women’s Rights Body, the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), recently named Israel as the top violator of women’s rights worldwide. In fact, of the 193 member states of the UN, only Israel was condemned as a violator of women’s rights. CSW’s approval of the resolution points out UN’s complete denial of Palestinian responsibility in Palestinian women’s rights violation. Israel’s U.N. Ambassador, Ron Prosor, castigated the decision highlighting UN’s bias against Israel: If anyone had any doubt that there was demonization of Israel at the United Nations, here is the entire truth before our eyes,(…) There are 193 member states in the UN, and they include countries that butcher men and women, jail both male and female journalists, execute female oppositionists and legislate laws against women. But Israel is the only one condemned. Anne Bayefsky, Director of the Touro Institue of Human Rights and the Holocaust, explains: [CSW did not condemn] Syria, where government forces routinely employ rape and other sexual violence and torture against women as a tactic of war. Where in 2014 the Assad regime starved, tortured and killed at least 24,000 civilians, and three million people – mostly women and children – are refugees. Not Saudi Arabia. Where women are physically punished if not wearing compulsory clothing, are almost entirely excluded from political life, cannot drive, cannot travel without a male relative, receive half the inheritance of their brothers, and where their testimony counts for half that of a man’s. Not Sudan. Where domestic violence is not prohibited. There is no minimum age for “consensual” sex. The legal age of marriage for girls is ten. 88% of women under 50 have undergone female genital mutilation. And women are denied equal rights in marriage, inheritance and divorce. Not Iran. Where every woman who registered as a presidential candidate in the last election was disqualified. “Adultery” is punishable by death by stoning. Women who fight back against rapists and kill their attackers are executed. The constitution bars female judges. And women must obtain the consent of their husbands to work outside the home. In fact, not only is there no possibility that the UN Commission on the Status of Women will criticize Iran, Iran is an elected member of CSW. Sudan – whose president has been indicted for genocide and crimes against humanity – is currently a CSW Vice-Chair. The CSW report does not even acknowledge a possible Palestinian responsibility in the treatment of Palestinian women. Instead, it places blame entirely on Israel. CSW specifically blames the “Israeli occupation” for: – The difficult integration of Palestinian women into the labour market (participation rate in Gaza: 16% ; in the West Bank: 18%). – The high unemployment rate of Palestinian women in Gaza: 61%. – The underrepresentation of women in the Palestinian government (16.6 % in September 2014) and their “lower positions of decision-making” in the public sector. – The honor-crimes and domestic violence, family disputes and femicide cases resulting from them. In order to support their accusation, the report suggests that the ‘Israeli occupation’ has “a negative gender differentiated impact on the lives of Palestinian women and their families.” Israel is the scapegoat for the plight of Palestinian women. “This resolution, as drafted, is an injustice to Palestinian women, whose true oppressors remain unmentioned. Palestinian women face an extraordinary culture of violence, discrimination and oppression under their own leadership,” argued Israeli diplomat Nelly Shiloh to the committee before the vote. She continued “The situation is even worse for Palestinians living under Hamas – an internationally recognized terrorist organization – that endorses spousal rape and honor killings.” Of the 45 members of the CSW, only two voted against the resolution, Israel and the US, while 13 abstained. The US and Japan (abstaining) criticized the unbalanced draft resolution, without denying their concern for Palestinian women.