Israel
to Join UN Women UN Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment
of Women
By
Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency
Jerusalem,
Israel ---- January 15, 2011 ...... Part of the above was communicated
by the Israel Prime Ministers Media Adviser and the Israel
Government Press Office to the Israel News Agency.
The Israel Cabinet will approve Israel's accession to UN Women,
the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment
of Women.
The Prime Minister's Office stated that the Cabinet is expected
to allocate NIS 3 million in UN membership dues.
The initiative to join UN Women is the effort of the Israel Deputy
Minister for the Advancement of Women, Young People and Students
Gila Gamliel. A Prime Minister's Office representative will chair
a professional steering committee that will set policy regarding
Israel's participation in the organization.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu notes that he ascribes
utmost importance to Israel's involvement in an organization that
advances the status of women in the world.
"Since
its establishment, the State of Israel has been known as a pioneer
in the field of advancing human rights and within that context
women's status. Israel has a proven record in the area of gender
equality. Israel's influence in a prominent international body
in the field is necessary because the issue of women's status
is a main policy issue for us and because Israel's contribution
to such a body from its inception could be considerable for the
countries of the world."
Much
attention has been focused on alleged Israel human rights violations
in the West Bank and Gaza, the result of professional spin, public
relations work paid by oil rich Islamic Jihadist organizatons.
At the same time, the popular media has chosen to virtually ignore
violations of fundamental human rights that take place daily in
almost every Arab country.
According to annual reports compiled by the US State Department,
most of the Arab states are ruled by oppressive, dictatorial regimes,
which deny their citizens basic freedoms of political expression,
speech, press and due process. The Arab Human Development Report
published by a group of Arab researchers from the UN Development
Program concluded that out of the seven regions of the world,
Arab countries had the lowest freedom score. They also had the
lowest ranking for "voice and accountability," a measure
of various aspects of the political process, civil liberties,
political rights and independence of the media.
Furthermore,
laws that restrict women's rights remain in force in almost all
Arab countries. In Syria, a husband can prevent his wife from
leaving the country. In Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Jordan, Morocco, Oman
and Yemen, married women must have their husbands' written permission
to travel abroad, and they may be prevented from doing so for
any reason. In Saudi Arabia, women must obtain written permission
from their closest male relative to leave the country or travel
on public transportation between different parts of the kingdom.
According
to the UN, "utilization of Arab women's capabilities through
political and economic participation remains the lowest in the
world in quantitative terms. In some countries with elected national
assemblies, women are still denied the right to vote or hold office.
And one in ever two Arab women can neither read nor write."
In a Saudi
Shari'a court, the testimony of one man equals that of two women.
In Kuwait, the male population is allowed to vote, while women
are still disenfranchised. Egypt, Morocco, Jordan and Saudi Arabia
all have laws stating that a woman's inheritance must be less
than that of her male siblings (usually about half the size).
Moroccan law excuses the murder or injury of a wife who is caught
in the act of committing adultery; yet women are punished for
harming their husbands under the same circumstances.
Wife beating
is a relatively common practice in Arab countries, and abused
women have little recourse. As the US State Department has noted
regarding Jordan (and most of the Arab world): "Wife beating
is technically grounds for divorce, but the husband may seek to
demonstrate that he has authority from the Koran to correct an
irreligious or disobedient wife by striking her."
In Saudi Arabia,
restrictions against women are among the most extreme in the Arab
world. Saudi women may not marry non-Saudis without government
permission (which is rarely given); are forbidden to drive motor
vehicles or bicycles; may not use public facilities when men are
present; and are forced to sit in the backs of public buses, segregated
from men.
Israel Deputy
Minister Gamliel stated: "It is important that Israel join
UN Women's Executive Board as soon as possible. Such membership
will allow us to block attempts to delegitimize Israel and enable
us to stress our country's positive, democratic aspects in the
international arena. One of the State of Israel's main interests
in the UN is to advance a positive agenda regarding the country's
activities. Israel is among the world's leaders in advancing the
status of women, therefore, it would be proper to stress this
fact in order to improve its international standing. I am pleased
that Prime Minister Netanyahu and the various ministries recognize
the importance of the issue and have joined the effort to raise
the necessary funds."
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