UN member states have wasted 25 years of potential by largely ignoring the crucial role that Palestinian women and girls should have played in building peace in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT), says Oxfam.
In a new report, 'Arming Injustice with Impunity', published in the wake of the October 31 anniversary marking 25 years since the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 was adopted and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda, Oxfam says that the UN's initiative has not only failed Palestinian women, but has reinforced the status quo by failing to confront the root causes of violence: Israel's illegal occupation and militarization, and the international community's complicity in selling arms and failing to hold Israel to account.
The WPS Agenda calls for women's full participation in peace processes, protection from violence, and gender-responsive approaches to conflict prevention and recovery. While widely endorsed, its implementation has often been narrowed and inconsistent, particularly in contexts of prolonged occupation and systemic injustice.
Oxfam's report, based on research conducted through consultation with partners and specialists in the field, outlines the devastating impacts upon women of Israel's illegal occupation. In Gaza, almost 70,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 170,000 injured since October 2023, with women and children making up the majority of the casualties. Ninety percent of the population has been displaced, with Gaza left in ruins. Women face disproportionate burdens from the collapse of infrastructure, healthcare systems, denial of maternal care, and increased exposure to trauma, starvation, and gender-based violence.
These harms extend beyond the battlefield: Palestinian women in detention have also been subjected to systematic abuse, including sexual and gender-based violence, which UN investigations have found may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In the West Bank, armed settler attacks – often backed by Israeli forces – have led to sexual harassment, threats of rape, and destruction of homes and schools. Women and girls live in fear, leading to school dropouts, miscarriages, and long-term psychological harm. Women human rights defenders face detention and repression, while internal patriarchal structures, exacerbated by militarization and unlawful occupation, further marginalise women's participation in political and public life.
Despite these challenges, Palestinian women-led civil society organisations continue to play key roles in providing education, protection support, and advocacy. However, the report criticises the international community's failure to uphold the WPS Agenda's core commitments. States continuing to sell arms and militarily cooperating with Israel undermine their global commitments to women's rights, gender equality and peace.
While the Palestinian Authority (PA) has adopted National Action Plans (NAPs) on WPS, their implementation is hindered by political fragmentation, lack of funding and lack of political will.
Originally envisioned to challenge power structures and centre women in peacebuilding, the WPS agenda in the OPT has been narrowed by militarized approaches and political fragmentation, that overlook the root causes that prevent full gender equality, protection, participation and justice, Oxfam says.
Oxfam believes that the WPS Agenda should return to its core: confronting militarism, enforcing international law, and prioritising gender justice. For Palestinian women, peace requires dismantling Israel's unlawful occupation, restoring justice and accountability and ensuring their voices are central in shaping a just and lasting future.
