Palestinian Arabs and International Women's Day

On the Palestinian Arab "news" sites there are a number of articles about International Women's Day. Most of them try very hard to turn the entire concept of the day around into an Israel hatefest. Hamas' statement was especially funny (autotranslated):

"Hamas" today praised the role of Palestinian women and their struggle and the patience and persistence that struck the finest examples of all women the world is made of martyrs, prisoners and Ahtspthm, receipts generations on the love of the homeland and to praise the principles that preserve dignity and pride.

The movement said in a statement on International Women's Day : Palestinian women are the first example of women in the world of women distinguished in all aspects of political and social life and jihad and others.

The movement for the right of Palestinian women to live in dignity, and the lifting of all forms of injustice and oppression, and the need to open doors for them to participate players in all aspects of the political, social and economic, educational, and positive participation in the development of society.

The Movement warned women to be drawn behind the glitter of empty slogans and false pretext of freedom and liberation of women from the restrictions, in an attempt to portray women body is a good spirit and breath deserve humane care and attention, inviting women to pay attention to the substance of the emancipation of women, including not contrary to the teachings of our religion and values inherent.

In other words, we really support our women as long as they remain covered head-to-toe, don't drive or travel alone, and have lots of kids ready to blow themselves up.

But buried in the rhetoric one finds an interesting statistic that you will never find in the mainstream media:

From January 2006 to end of February 2007, according to the PCHR, 36 Palestinian Arab women died as a result of Israeli actions.

In the same time period, 58 women were killed by Palestinian Arabs themselves.

In other words, PalArabs are killing 60% more of their women than Israel has. (I suspect that even these numbers are wrong - if you assume that the Ghalia family beach tragedy was the result of a Palestinian Arab mine and not Israeli artillery, the numbers become 60-34.)

UPDATE: The UNRWA celebrates today in its own inimitable fashion. Here is part of a speech by its Commisioner General, Karen Koning Abu Zayd:

Today somewhere a young Palestinian university student will miss her classes, waiting hours for the gate to the barrier to be opened. Today somewhere a young Palestinian mother will be stopped at a checkpoint, unable to reach hospital with her sick baby. Today somewhere a Palestinian mother will not let her children play outside, for fear that a stray bullet could strike.

Each of these experiences is a barrier to hope. Each time that access to education, to health, to safety – to basic human rights - is denied, hope is also denied. It is denied, but will not die. Hope lives in the strength of the women of Palestine.

I empathize with your struggle to realize what is best for yourselves and your families. UNRWA is your partner in this struggle, helping to guarantee education and health and other basic necessities for 4.3 million Palestine refugees. We will continue to work alongside you, ensuring the provision of these essential services.

"Struggle" is, of course, a keyword for PalArabs meaning "killing Jews."

Clearly the UN doesn't care much about the honor killings or subjugation of women in Palestinian Arab society - only about what Israel is doing, or presumed to be doing. And just as clearly the UN doesn't notice its own complicity in the fact that, under UNRWA, the number of "refugees" has grown exponentially since 1948.

One would think that UNRWA would want to try to reduce that number - if they truly cared about Palestinian Arabs and their women.