Protecting Palestinian Women: Ethical and Legal Responsibility of the United Nations and the International Community
Occupied Palestine: At the time, women all over the world celebrate March 8th by highlighting their achievements on the pathway of reaching justice and effective participation in the political, civic, economic, and cultural life, Palestinian women are still in a different situation. They are healing the wounds and collecting what they lost while proceeding in the daily struggle for freedom and liberation from the occupation.
After two years of genocidal war that targeted Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where women were the most affected, as two-thirds of the victims (more than 72 thousand killed and 180 injured) are women and children. The war was not limited to killing and wounding but extended to affect all life essentials, transferring women’s lives into an endless series of loss, displacement, and deprivation of safety.
The violations also affected the human dignity of Palestinian women, where the local and international human rights and legal organizations documented a series of sexual harassment and rape crimes that Palestinian women faced by the Israeli soldiers, as well as other forms of gender- based violence. Women faced these crimes while being arrested by the Israeli forces, and during the military incursions into the Palestinian localities. Yet, justice is still far away because the perpetrators managed to escape punishment systematically. The Israeli government continued banning the entry of humanitarian assistance and fuel into the besieged Gaza Strip, pushing Palestinians to live under famine. Moreover, the Israeli government made use of the fact that the world was busy following up on the genocidal war in the Gaza Strip, to proceed in the crimes against Palestinians in the West Bank, where a restricted siege was imposed, and the Palestinian localities were disfigured by more than a thousand checkpoints, military barriers, and iron gates. Palestinians' right to freedom of mobility was confiscated, especially in the rural and remote areas. Furthermore, the Israeli government armed the settlers' militia and let them free in attacking Palestinians, especially in the areas classified as (C) areas. Once again, women are the most affected by these violations and crimes.
Since the first day of the aggression, many super colonial powers have declared bias to the Israeli occupation, not only through providing military and material support, but also through providing political and media coverage to enable the occupation to proceed in the genocidal war against Palestinians. Furthermore, these powers paralyzed the international justice tools and provided a green light for the occupation’s leaders to go ahead in committing the most horrific crimes against Palestinians.
Although women are the most affected group by wars and military conflicts, and although the United Nations affirmed such a fact for decades and released a bunch of resolutions to protect women, above, which was the Women, Peace and Security Agenda and UNSCR 1325, yet, the status in Palestine reveals that international will is kidnapped and the role of the United Nations in protecting Palestinians in general, and women in particular, was disabled.
The American Administration stood as a solid bulwark and prevented the UN Security Council from releasing a compulsory resolution to stop the aggression and genocidal war in the Gaza Strip. In parallel, the Occupation made use of the fact that the world was busy following up on the crimes in the Gaza Strip to proceed with the policies of forcible displacement and uprooting in the West Bank. PWWSD warns against utilizing the current military escalation in the region and the American-Israeli aggression on the Islamic Republic of Iran, to proceed with its project to uproot Palestinians from their homeland and eliminate the Palestinian question. Previous experiences had proven that the Israeli occupation utilizes the geopolitical circumstances in the world and the region to proceed in its project to eliminate the Palestinian question and uproot Palestinians.
In recognition of March 8th, and within the ongoing aggression against Palestinians and the military escalation in the region, PWWSD emphasizes that protecting Palestinian women is neither a favor nor a political choice but an indivisible international legal obligation. Based on that, PWWSD, as a feminist leading organization biased to women’s issues and rights, raises its voice demanding:
v The necessity to take immediate steps by the United Nations to ensure a permanent ceasefire and enable the provision of humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
v Launch an immediate, independent, transparent investigation into the reported sexual abuse crimes committed against Palestinian women and girls by the Israeli soldiers and hold the perpetrators accountable in front of the international specialized justice tools
v Immediate release of Palestinian prisoners, mainly women and children, in accordance with the articles of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the other instruments of human rights law and standards.
v Declare a clear commitment to implement the UNSCR 1325 and the other components of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda within the Palestinian context and involve Palestinian women in the various paths of negotiations, decision-making, achieving peace, protection, and recovery activities.
v Stop all the policies of forcibly displacement in the Gaza Strip as well as in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, and abide by the international human rights law and the international humanitarian law.
The Steadfastness of Palestinian Women is not just a resistance act; it is a live testimony of a nation’s will. Protecting Palestinian women is not a favor; it is an unpostponable legal and ethical responsibility of the United Nations.
Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development-PWWSD
March 8th, 2026
