Towards Real Protection for Palestinian Women

Statement by Women Sector- PNGO on the International Day of Rural Women

Occupied Palestine: As the world marks the International Day of Rural Women and recognizes women’s contribution to the global economy and their leadership, Palestinian women, especially rural women, continue to endure oppression and violence. The ongoing genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which has continued for more than three years, is the gravest expression of this violence. In the West Bank, settler militias attack Palestinian rural communities with the arms and protection provided by the current Israeli occupation government—a government of settlers.

The occupation’s continuing violations and crimes deny Palestinian rural women the basic rights guaranteed under international human rights law and international conventions. Repeated attacks by settler gangs and the occupation army threaten their lives and leave them unable to feel safe in their own communities. The confiscation of agricultural land also deprives rural families of their main source of income. Women are particularly affected, as 60% of employed Palestinian women work in agriculture.

UN Resolution A/RES/62/136 guides our understanding of rural women. It includes women who live and work in rural areas: those who farm, raise livestock, run local businesses, work on family farms, or carry out unpaid domestic and care work. The UN framework also pays particular attention to women with disabilities, elderly women, and women affected by conflict.

Women Sector stresses that the targeting of Palestinian women is part of the occupation’s broader genocidal war against Palestinian people. This war also targets those whose work sustains Palestinian society and its economy, including rural women.

Protecting Palestinian women therefore requires protection for the entire Palestinian people. The Women, Peace and Security agenda and other international frameworks must translate into concrete action. We call for protection under the UN Charter, accountability for the occupation’s violations and crimes, action under Chapter VII, and the establishment of international tribunals to prosecute Israeli war criminals.

As these crimes continue, rural women face growing barriers to participating in development and accessing healthcare, education, training and social protection. These are rights recognized in Article 14 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and other relevant conventions.

Within Palestine, we need a clear national policy that supports women and strengthens their ability to remain on their land and sustain their communities. Rural women must be a priority, with practical support programs that help them reach healthcare facilities, schools and training centers.

To support rural women and ensure that they can take part in development and public life, we call for:

• International protection for Palestinian people, particularly rural women. The violations committed by the Israeli occupation’s political authorities, army and settler militias must end. We call for implementation of the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion on ending Israel’s occupation of Palestine, action under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, and sanctions on Israel until it complies with international resolutions, ends its occupation of Palestinian territory and allows the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination.
• An end to trade in products from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. All countries must take this step and follow it with further measures to compel Israel to dismantle the settlements and end its occupation of Palestine.
• A joint Palestinian effort to support Rural Women. We call on the Palestinian government and all national actors, especially civil society organizations, to work together on programs that respond to rural women’s needs and strengthen their ability to sustain their livelihoods and communities. This must include legislation that recognizes their economic contribution to the national economy.

Women’s Sector
Palestinian NGO Network
October 2026