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Support Statement of Palestinian Feminists in Palestine and Diaspora

February 22, 2016
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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 th

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

  1. Dr. Hanan Ashrawi- Member of the Executive committee of the PLO
  2. Haneen Zoabi - MK: The Joint List
  3. Dr.Sahar .F. Qawasmi - Member of The Palestinian Legislative Council
  4. Vira Baboun- Mayer of Bethlehem
  5. Samah Salaimi - Director of Naám: Arab Women in the Center
  6. Majida Al Masri - Coordinator of the Israeli products boycotting women campaign
  7. Dr. Lama Abu Odeh- Law Professor- Georgetown University Law Centre
  8. Dr.Rabab Abdulhadi- Associate Professor of Race and Resistance Studies, San Francisco State University
  9. Safa Tamish - Activist
  10. Ghadir Shafie – Activist
  11. Nada Elia, writer, activist
  12. Rafeef Ziadah- activist, poet
  13. Rafah Inabtawi- Feminist Activist
  14. Salma Wakeem - Lawyer and Activist
  15. Heba Yazbak-  Feminist and Political Activist
  16. Falasteen Diweekat - Activist
  17. Areen Hawari - Activist
  18. Himmat Zoabi- Activist
  19. Rimonda Mansour - Activist
  20. Enas Khatib- Activist
  21. Widad Assaf- Attorney and Activist
  22. Rauda Morcus- Lawyer
  23. Hanan Wakeem- Activist
  24. Rima Abboud- Activist
  25. Amani Dayef- Activist
  26. Amal Eqeiq – Visiting Assistant Professor of Arabic and Comparative Literature , Williams College
  27. Shada Aamer- Activist
  28. Ruzeen Odeh- Activist and journalist
  29. Ayah Zinati- Activist
  30. Raghida Zoabi- Activist
  31. Maisaá Irshid- Lawyer
  32. Khouloud Khamis- Activist and novelist
  33. Rasha Hilwi- Writer and journalist
  34. Rawya Abu Rabea- Lawyer and activist
  35. Ola Shtiwi- Activist
  36. Nizar Hawwari- Activist
  37. Maisan Hamdan- Acivist
  38. Hadiya Kayuof- Activist
  39. Hala Marshoud- Activist
  40. Wafaa Zriq- Activist
  41. Hala Ibraheem- Activist
  42. Deema Darawshy- Activist
  43. Inaam Issawi- Feminist actvists
  44. Janan Abdu- Activist
  45. Rawya Hondouklou- Activist
  46. Fidaá Shehadeh - Activist
  47. Shahd Awawda - Attorney -Human rights activist
  48. Nawal Slimieh- Activist
  49. Yasmeen Hammar- Attorney
  50. Diana Buttu-  Lawyer
  51. Lina Bearat- Activist and Engineer
  52. Haneen Zaidan- Feminist Activist
  53. Hadeel Shawamreh- Journalist
  54. Samah Sabawi- Activist and playwright
  55. Linda Jarayseh- Feminist Activist
  56. Madeeha Araj- Feminist Activist
  57. Nada Tweer- Feminist Activist
  58. Mary Nazzal Batayneh- Barrister and Activist
  59. Abir Kopty- Phd researcher and Blogger
  60. Ruba Odeh- Feminist Activist
  61. Khitam Saafen- Feminist Activist
  62. Hanan Kaoud Ghnayem- Feminist Activist
  63. Najwa Sandouka Yagi- Feminist Activist
  64. Amal Syam- Director of Women’s Affair Center
  65. Sorida A Hussien- General Director of Women’s Affair Technical Committee
  66. Basma Naji- Gender Expert
  67. Ghada AbdelQader- Instructor at Birzeit University, English literature Department
  68. Mariam Zakoot- General Director of the Culture & Free Thoughts Association
  69. Sawsan Elian- Feminist Activist
  70. Dr.Faten Abu Zarrour- Instructor at Al Najah University
  71. Sama Awiedah- General Director of The Women Studies Center
  72. Samar Hawash- Feminist Activist
  73. Lamees Farraj- Project Coordinator, Bisan Center for Research & Development
  74. Lamya Shalaldih- Feminist Activist
  75. Nadia Habash- Feminist Activist
  76. Suha Nazzal- Feminist Activist
  77. Abeer Issa Zakarneh- President of Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees
  78. Fatima Da'na - Feminist Activist
  79. Shaden Saleem- Artist
  80. Huwaida Arraf- Attorney and Human Rights Activist
  81. Lina Fattom- Lawyer  and Human Rights Activist
  82. Riham Barghouti- Activist and Teacher
  83. Jennifer Atala- Businesswoman
  84. Sawsan Abulhawa-  Novelist
  85. Reem Talhami- Artist
  86. Areej Ghannam- Activist
  87. Amal Krieshah- General Director of the Palestinian Working Women Society for Development
  88. Dr.Riham Alhelsi- Activist and Blogger
  89. Maysoun Qawasmi- Feminist Activist and Journalist
  90. Hanan Syam- Feminist Activist
  91. Naila Ayesh- Activist
  92. Rawan Zghari- Women Affairs Representative
  93. Dr.Samira Barghouthi- Scientist and Activist
  94. Maysa Hajjaj- PhD researcher at Complutense University of Madrid Lucy Talgieh- Women Coordinator at Wi'am Center
  95. Lucy Talgieh- Feminist Activist
  96. Dana Amr- Lawyer
  97. Rafeef Ziadah- activist, poet
  98. Areej Khalili-  Feminist activist
  99. Sumayah Safadi- Feminist activist
  100. Sarah Alkilani- Lawyer
  101. Raeda mahmood sawalha- Activist and member in Women Union
  102. Salwa Bannorah-    Lawyer and Activist
  103. Ohoud Yaish Qanadilo- Director of Arab Woman Union Society in Nablus
  104. Samar Walid Taha Aghbar- Activist
  105. Abeer Allan- Writer and Activist
  106. Maria Ismael- Activist
  107. Diana Alzeer-  Journalist and Human Rights Advocate
  108. Susan Abulhawa-  Novelist
February 22, 2016
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