THE United Nations Commission on the Status of Women approved a resolution late on Friday blaming Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territory for “the grave situation of Palestinian women.”

The resolution, which was sponsored by Palestine and South Africa, was adopted by a vote of 27-2 with 13 abstentions.

Predictably, the United States and Israel voted against the resolution and European Union members abstained.

The vote took place on the final day of the commission’s two-week meeting to review the 150-page platform for action to achieve equality for women adopted at the UN women’s conference in Beijing in 1995.

The commission set a new goal of 2030 to achieve gender equality.

The resolution stressed the quest for equality and reaffirmed “that the Israeli occupation remains the major obstacle for

Palestinian women with regard to their advancement, self-reliance and integration in the development of their society.”

It called on the international community to continue providing urgently needed assistance and services “to alleviate the dire humanitarian crisis being faced by Palestinian women and their families.”

It also condemned last summer’s Israeli attack on in Gaza which killed and injured thousands of civilians, including hundreds of Palestinian women and girls.

Israel’s UN ambassador Ron Prosor denounced the resolution, alleging that it was further proof of UN bias against Israel, noting that it was the only country singled out by the 45-member commission.

Mr Prosor accused the Palestinians of mistreating women, claiming “honour killings are a daily occurrence.”

by Our Foreign Desk