Support Statement of Palestinian Feminists in Palestine and Diaspora
We, the undersigned, Palestinian feminists, human rights activists and representatives of women organizations, hereby declare our full support and deep appreciation for the decision taken by the National Women's Studies Association (NWSA) to stand with the struggle of the indigenous/native Palestinians against the colonial apparatuses used by the Israeli occupation regime. We declare our support for all nonviolent forms of struggle for achieving human rights and for upholding international law and basic human rights.
We are fully aware of the organic relationship between women’s rights and the full set of human rights, and therefore we see the intersection of the national struggle for self-determination with the struggle for social justice, freedom and human dignity.
As Palestinian feminists living under Israel’s system of colonial and racist oppression against our people everywhere, we certainly do not subscribe to the idea of forming alliances "to defend the state of Israel," as some Israeli feminists have asked us, against international criticism of its violations of international law. Nor is it our duty, clearly, to contribute in any form to undermining effective global solidarity with the struggle of our people for freedom, justice and equality. On the contrary, our duty is to engage in this struggle, in accordance with our respective circumstances, and to encourage international solidarity movements, the most effective of which is the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
We are fully aware of the empowering and inspiring role that international solidarity can play in supporting our struggle for our rights, as it did in the struggle of our South African sisters for their rights.
We deplore the colonial attitude inherent in some Israeli feminists’ request of us to sign a statement in favor of liberal ideals, "dialogue" and "co-existence," and against the effective solidarity with the struggle for rights. The main problem here lies in the assumption that Palestinian and Israeli women stand on an equal footing and can coexist despite the ongoing regime of occupation, colonization and apartheid.
We wholeheartedly believe in and welcome principled alliances with progressive Jewish forces -- including Jewish-Israeli groups -- that are based on the recognition of the rights of our people under international law and on the common struggle to end the system of oppression, excluded from this alliance all the Israeli normalization organizations and movements which aim to normalize the relations between the perpetrator and the victim.
We emphasize that popular resistance movements, including the boycott movement, are feminist issues as well. These movements emphasize the intersectionality of the struggle of Palestinian feminists as marginalized women who are deprived of equal rights and as part of an indigenous people suffering under a regime of occupation and apartheid.
We cannot accept the backseat reserved for an obedient minority that must be filled in conferences or statements issued by Israeli groups. We are struggling for our rights, all of our rights, national, social and otherwise, and against all oppression. We shall not accept anything less than our freedom and our dignity.
Signatories
- Dr. Hanan Ashrawi- Member of the Executive committee of the PLO
- Haneen Zoabi - MK: The Joint List
- Dr.Sahar .F. Qawasmi - Member of The Palestinian Legislative Council
- Vira Baboun- Mayer of Bethlehem
- Samah Salaimi - Director of Naám: Arab Women in the Center
- Majida Al Masri - Coordinator of the Israeli products boycotting women campaign
- Dr. Lama Abu Odeh- Law Professor- Georgetown University Law Centre
- Dr.Rabab Abdulhadi- Associate Professor of Race and Resistance Studies, San Francisco State University
- Safa Tamish - Activist
- Ghadir Shafie – Activist
- Nada Elia, writer, activist
- Rafeef Ziadah- activist, poet
- Rafah Inabtawi- Feminist Activist
- Salma Wakeem - Lawyer and Activist
- Heba Yazbak- Feminist and Political Activist
- Falasteen Diweekat - Activist
- Areen Hawari - Activist
- Himmat Zoabi- Activist
- Rimonda Mansour - Activist
- Enas Khatib- Activist
- Widad Assaf- Attorney and Activist
- Rauda Morcus- Lawyer
- Hanan Wakeem- Activist
- Rima Abboud- Activist
- Amani Dayef- Activist
- Amal Eqeiq – Visiting Assistant Professor of Arabic and Comparative Literature , Williams College
- Shada Aamer- Activist
- Ruzeen Odeh- Activist and journalist
- Ayah Zinati- Activist
- Raghida Zoabi- Activist
- Maisaá Irshid- Lawyer
- Khouloud Khamis- Activist and novelist
- Rasha Hilwi- Writer and journalist
- Rawya Abu Rabea- Lawyer and activist
- Ola Shtiwi- Activist
- Nizar Hawwari- Activist
- Maisan Hamdan- Acivist
- Hadiya Kayuof- Activist
- Hala Marshoud- Activist
- Wafaa Zriq- Activist
- Hala Ibraheem- Activist
- Deema Darawshy- Activist
- Inaam Issawi- Feminist actvists
- Janan Abdu- Activist
- Rawya Hondouklou- Activist
- Fidaá Shehadeh - Activist
- Shahd Awawda - Attorney -Human rights activist
- Nawal Slimieh- Activist
- Yasmeen Hammar- Attorney
- Diana Buttu- Lawyer
- Lina Bearat- Activist and Engineer
- Haneen Zaidan- Feminist Activist
- Hadeel Shawamreh- Journalist
- Samah Sabawi- Activist and playwright
- Linda Jarayseh- Feminist Activist
- Madeeha Araj- Feminist Activist
- Nada Tweer- Feminist Activist
- Mary Nazzal Batayneh- Barrister and Activist
- Abir Kopty- Phd researcher and Blogger
- Ruba Odeh- Feminist Activist
- Khitam Saafen- Feminist Activist
- Hanan Kaoud Ghnayem- Feminist Activist
- Najwa Sandouka Yagi- Feminist Activist
- Amal Syam- Director of Women’s Affair Center
- Sorida A Hussien- General Director of Women’s Affair Technical Committee
- Basma Naji- Gender Expert
- Ghada AbdelQader- Instructor at Birzeit University, English literature Department
- Mariam Zakoot- General Director of the Culture & Free Thoughts Association
- Sawsan Elian- Feminist Activist
- Dr.Faten Abu Zarrour- Instructor at Al Najah University
- Sama Awiedah- General Director of The Women Studies Center
- Samar Hawash- Feminist Activist
- Lamees Farraj- Project Coordinator, Bisan Center for Research & Development
- Lamya Shalaldih- Feminist Activist
- Nadia Habash- Feminist Activist
- Suha Nazzal- Feminist Activist
- Abeer Issa Zakarneh- President of Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees
- Fatima Da'na - Feminist Activist
- Shaden Saleem- Artist
- Huwaida Arraf- Attorney and Human Rights Activist
- Lina Fattom- Lawyer and Human Rights Activist
- Riham Barghouti- Activist and Teacher
- Jennifer Atala- Businesswoman
- Sawsan Abulhawa- Novelist
- Reem Talhami- Artist
- Areej Ghannam- Activist
- Amal Krieshah- General Director of the Palestinian Working Women Society for Development
- Dr.Riham Alhelsi- Activist and Blogger
- Maysoun Qawasmi- Feminist Activist and Journalist
- Hanan Syam- Feminist Activist
- Naila Ayesh- Activist
- Rawan Zghari- Women Affairs Representative
- Dr.Samira Barghouthi- Scientist and Activist
- Maysa Hajjaj- PhD researcher at Complutense University of Madrid Lucy Talgieh- Women Coordinator at Wi'am Center
- Lucy Talgieh- Feminist Activist
- Dana Amr- Lawyer
- Rafeef Ziadah- activist, poet
- Areej Khalili- Feminist activist
- Sumayah Safadi- Feminist activist
- Sarah Alkilani- Lawyer
- Raeda mahmood sawalha- Activist and member in Women Union
- Salwa Bannorah- Lawyer and Activist
- Ohoud Yaish Qanadilo- Director of Arab Woman Union Society in Nablus
- Samar Walid Taha Aghbar- Activist
- Abeer Allan- Writer and Activist
- Maria Ismael- Activist
- Diana Alzeer- Journalist and Human Rights Advocate
- Susan Abulhawa- Novelist