Used as we may be to the UN acting not as a forum for the nations of the world but a club for Israel-bashers, this week was nonetheless extraordinary.
A resolution due to be passed (as we go to press) by the UN Commission on the Status of Women declares that the "occupation" in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is the main barrier to the advancement of women's rights in the area. The deliberate myopia of those behind this statement is jaw-dropping.
In Syria, Assad uses rape, torture and mutilation as an instrument of policy. Misogyny is part of Hamas' DNA. And honour killings remain all too prevalent. Israel, on the other hand, is a shining light when it comes to women's rights. What utter rot from the UN. But that is as nothing compared with the Security Council's blithe indifference to last week's rocket fire on southern Israel from Gaza. A million Israelis' lives were put on hold as they dodged the attacks. Two hundred thousand children were unable to attend school. At one point one rocket was being fired every 20 minutes. Yet the Security Council uttered not one word in condemnation. It is almost as if threats to Jewish lives do not matter when it comes to UN realpolitik.
