On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine reaffirms on the fundamental right

On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine reaffirms on the fundamental right of Palestinian women and girls to live in safety, dignity, and peace, and to enjoy full protection from the policies and crimes cried out by the Israeli colonial occupation, Including genocide, extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary and administrative detention, torture, sexual violence, home demolitions, land confiscation, settler terrorism, starvation, intimidation, and the ongoing systematic wide-scale aggression on their rights. The Ministry stresses that Palestinian women and girls are facing one of the most sever forms of colonial occupation, apatrhide, persecution, and colonial oppression in the world, which killed more than 33,000 Palestinian women and girls in the past two years. While, the destruction of vital infrastructure, including hospitals, women’s clinics, reproductive and mental health services, and protection centers, has further deprived women of the basic services they are entitled to under international law.

The Ministry reaffirms that the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is not merely a moment to recall gender-based violence only, as this year’s theme is“Unite to End Digital Violence against Women and Girls”, also an opportunity to expose and hold accountable the Israeli colonial occupation for its apartheid policies, which deployes advanced surveillance technologies, artificial intelligence as instruments of control, systematic targeting, and intimidation of our people.

At the national level, the State of Palestine continues to uphold its commitments to international human rights conventions, advance national strategies to eliminate all forms of violence and discrimination against women, promote their participation in decision-making, and strengthen their resilience. Additionally, the State of Palestine is working to harmonize its national legislation with international standards to guarantee the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women.

In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates underscores the urgent need to sustain the international momentum to end the illegal Israeli colonial occupation, implement the two-state solution with the independence of the State of Palestine, and to safeguard the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination, independence, and the right of return without restrictions. It further calls for intensified international legal efforts to ensure accountability for Israel occupying Power’s grave violations including genocide, forced displacement, war crimes, torture, settler terrorism, and the systematic aggression of the rights of Palestinian women and girls, in line with the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice and relevant international resolutions, as essential steps toward ending the illegal Israeli colonial occupation and ensuring the protection of the Palestinian women, men, and children alike.