Palestine's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Minister Riyad Mansour, said Palestinian women and girls are facing catastrophic conditions under the continued illegal Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the grave violations of their rights, dignity and human security that result from it.
Speaking in Palestine's address to the Security Council on women, peace and security, Mansour said the widespread destruction, repeated displacement, loss of family members and collapse of basic services in the Gaza Strip have deepened the suffering of women and girls and increased their exposure to violence and exploitation and their deprivation of the most basic necessities of life.
He spoke of the situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, where the Israeli occupation's aggression, settler violence, forced displacement, home demolitions and land seizures continue, threatening the security and future of women and girls.
Mansour stressed the need to end the policy of impunity and ensure accountability for crimes committed against Palestinian women and girls, including conflict-related sexual violence, in accordance with international law, and to support international investigation mechanisms and provide justice for victims and survivors.
He called for the immediate release of all Palestinian women detainees in occupation prisons and for an end to the torture, ill-treatment and violations of their fundamental rights they face.
He noted that the women, peace and security agenda is not merely a political framework or an international commitment, but an urgent necessity for protecting Palestinian women and girls, particularly amid the continuing genocide in the Gaza Strip, the faltering completion of the ceasefire agreement's implementation, and escalating Israeli attacks and settler terrorism in the West Bank, including Hebron, Jenin, Tulkarm and Nablus, accompanied by policies of displacement and systematic destruction.
Mansour noted that, despite the financial blockade and attempts to undermine the institutions of the State of Palestine, the Palestinian government places the issues of women and girls at the forefront of its national priorities, with the Ministry of Women's Affairs working to implement the third generation of the national plan for the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 and the national cross-sectoral strategy to promote equality and justice, in partnership with official and civil institutions, to ensure the full, equal, effective and safe participation of Palestinian women in political and diplomatic efforts, decision-making, and relief, early recovery and reconstruction efforts.
He considered that there can be no just and sustainable peace without the participation of Palestinian women as essential partners in shaping solutions, not merely recipients of aid or victims of conflict.
In his address, Mansour praised the pivotal role of human rights defenders, women's organizations, journalists and women humanitarian workers in documenting violations, providing assistance and preserving the cohesion of Palestinian society.
He urged the need to provide protection for them from threats and attacks and to ensure their voices reach international forums freely and safely.
Mansour explained that Palestinian women are not merely witnesses to the conflict, but rights-holders, partners in peacemaking and a fundamental pillar of the resilience and continuity of our Palestinian people.
He stressed that the protection of Palestinian women and girls cannot be separated from addressing the root causes of the conflict, ending the Israeli occupation, and ensuring the right of our Palestinian people to self-determination and to establish their independent, sovereign state, in accordance with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.
Mansour renewed the State of Palestine's solidarity with all women and girls facing the ravages of wars and conflicts, stressing that their voices and rights must remain at the heart of international efforts to achieve security and peace, in line with the vision of Security Council Resolution 1325.
