A delegation organized by Nobel Women’s Initiative (NWI) and led by Nobel Peace Prize laureates Jody Williams, Tawakkol Karman and Shirin Ebadi, travelled to Occupied Palestinian Territories and Jordan to meet with and hear from Palestinian women, who are disproportionately affected by the ongoing crisis.
Women Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Bear Witness to Genocide, Ethnic Cleansing, and Illegal Occupation in Palestine
April 2025 – Ramallah, West Bank & Amman, Jordan
In Gaza, the humanitarian situation is catastrophic. In the West Bank, communities face intensified raids, arrests, land confiscation, and the daily impacts of a brutal military occupation—checkpoints, movement restrictions, and systemic harassment. Amid this deepening crisis, a delegation led by Nobel Peace Prize laureates Jody Williams, Tawakkol Karman, and Shirin Ebadi traveled to the region to hear directly from Palestinian women resisting violence, occupation, and dispossession.
The Nobel Women’s Initiative delegation began in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, where Jody Williams witnessed firsthand the aggressive expansion of illegal Israeli settlements and state-sanctioned violence. She met women and families enduring attacks from armed settlers, arbitrary detentions, and the destruction of homes, schools, and public services. Laureates Oleksandra Matviichuk and Tawakkol Karman joined some of the meetings virtually.
In the village of Al-Mughayir, 19-year-old Noor shared how she was shot in the leg by an armed settler—one of countless examples of impunity that define daily life for Palestinians under occupation.
“This is genocide. This is ethnic cleansing. This is an illegal occupation perpetrated by Israel,” said Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jody Williams. “Governments, especially my own country, the U.S., are complicit in these crimes against humanity. The world must stop arming and enabling this brutal occupation. We stand with the Palestinian people.”
Following the West Bank visit, Nobel Peace Prize laureates Jody Williams, Tawakkol Karman, and Shirin Ebadi convened in Jordan to meet with dozens of Palestinian women: teachers, doctors, journalists, activists, former detainees, and caregivers. These powerful conversations revealed both the scale of the devastation and the strength of women’s leadership.
“Palestinian women are experiencing unspeakable violence—yet they continue to lead, organize, and care for their communities,” said Tawakkol Karman. "Their struggle for survival and dignity is our shared struggle. World leaders must end Israeli apartheid, halt military aggression in the West Bank and Gaza, and impose an arms embargo. Justice requires action. The world must not look away from the war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank,” she added. “It must end. Now.”
Together, the laureates united in demanding an immediate end to the Israeli genocide and illegal occupation, while reaffirming the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, and the right of return for all Palestinian refugees.
The delegation heard devastating testimony about the treatment of Palestinian women in Israeli prisons: arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual violence, and systematic denial of legal rights. Despite the trauma, these women continue to speak out, organize, and demand justice.
Doctors described targeted attacks on healthcare in Gaza and the West Bank—maternity clinics bombed, ambulances blocked, hospitals without electricity. Students and educators spoke about the barriers within the education system. Farmers described destroyed olive groves and confiscated land. Every aspect of Palestinian life is under assault.
The delegation included prominent women peace leaders, including Joyce Ajlouny, General Secretary of the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization committed to peace and social justice. AFSC and British Friends Service Council accepted the 1947 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of Quakers worldwide. AFSC has been active in Gaza since 1948, providing essential life-saving humanitarian aid. Joyce highlighted that:
“AFSC staff in Gaza are among those whose lives are at severe risk due to the ongoing intense Israeli bombardment and the total blockade of food, water, and medical supplies. Israel continues its genocidal actions, killing Palestinians every day and intentionally starving the entire population. This must be stopped. I join the women Nobel Peace Laureates in calling on governments and multilateral bodies to find the moral courage to demand that humanitarian aid continues to flow and that military aid to Israel is halted immediately. Our common humanity is at stake. Every day counts, and every minute saves lives. We must act now!”
Palestinian-Canadian lawyer Diana Buttu also took part in the delegation. She called upon members of the International Criminal Court:
“to uphold their obligations under international law by enforcing warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, thereby reaffirming the global commitment to human rights and the rule of law”.
Dr Amrita Kapur, Secretary-General of the Women's International League for Freedom also took part in the delegation. WILPF is a membership-based feminist peace organisation and global movement with presence and impact around the world. Two of WILPF’s founding members were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (in 1931 and 1946). Dr Kapur added:
"The Palestinian women we met described horrific experiences, which are the culmination of 75 years of colonial structural violence, dispossession, and dehumanisation. The evidence of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes by Israel against the Palestinian people is overwhelming. This is not a question of law, information, or evidence, but about the international community’s commitment to humanity, dignity and freedom. WILPF calls on all States to abide by the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion to end Israel’s illegal occupation immediately. The last 18 months have proved again how impunity emboldens perpetrators: The international community must demand justice for Israeli international crimes to break the cycle of recurrence."
The delegation held civil society roundtables with the Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling (WCLAC) in Ramallah and the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) in Amman. Through a video connection, they heard directly from women in Gaza, who shared urgent testimonies about life under siege and the compounded impacts of war, occupation, and displacement. The delegation also met with Gaza patients receiving critical medical care at the King Hussein Cancer Centre. This humanitarian visit, hosted by Princess Ghida Talal—Royal Patron—underscored the importance of sustained support for cancer treatment and the broader healthcare needs of Palestinians.
In Jordan, the delegation visited Jerash Camp, home to generations of Palestinian refugees, where they listened to women and youth speak about their rights, challenges, and daily life in Jordan. Meetings with UN institutions, including UNRWA, deepened their understanding of the ongoing humanitarian crisis and the regional implications of the occupation. They also met with HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal and leaders from Jordanian civil society, and took part in an event for the diplomatic community hosted by the Irish Embassy to Jordan and Ambassador Marianne Bolger on the resilience, wisdom, and agency of women leaders in these pivotal times.
Key Demands from Palestinian Women:
- End the war crimes and genocide in Gaza. Stop the genocide and crimes against humanity perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian people. Uphold Palestinian rights, dignity, and freedom.
- End the occupation. Ensure that the illegal occupation and expansion of Israeli settlements.
- Impose an arms embargo. End all arms transfers to Israel.
- Immediate ceasefire and humanitarian access. Ensure a permanent ceasefire and full access to Gaza, and urgent medical evacuations.
- Ensure justice and accountability. Prosecute war crimes and sexual and gender-based violence. Enforce international humanitarian and human rights law. Support the continuation of UNRWA and allow full access for UN human rights mechanisms.
- Protect Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. End military and settler violence.
- Include Palestinian women in all political and peace processes. Guarantee meaningful inclusion of women’s voices and perspectives in all peace, political and reconstruction efforts.
- Protect Palestinian women. Ensure safety for women human rights defenders, release women political prisoners and fund frontline women’s organizations. Provide core, flexible, and sustained support for Palestinian women-led groups advancing justice and survival.
Nobel Women’s Initiative stands in unwavering solidarity with Palestinian women—and the urgent need for feminist, political, and rights-based action. Palestinian women must be central to all peace, justice, and reconstruction efforts.
In May 2025, NWI will release a full report and additional material from the delegation.
The delegation was conducted in collaboration with numerous partners, including the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).
Photos of the delegation are available here.
يرجى قراءة البيان باللغة العربية. (Please read the statement in Arabic)
END.
Media Contact:
Daina Ruduša
Nobel Women’s Initiative is led by eight women Nobel Peace Prize laureates - Jody Williams (USA), Shirin Ebadi (Iran), Tawakkol Karman (Yemen), Leymah Gbowee (Liberia), Rigoberta Menchú Tum (Guatemala), Narges Mohammadi (Iran), Maria Ressa (Philippines) and Oleksandra Matviichuk (Ukraine). Women are crucial to attaining lasting peace, and yet in times of war and conflict they are seen as victims, and too often excluded from formal peace-building processes. The laureates know the importance of women peacebuilders, and the challenges they face firsthand. At NWI they work together to use the platform and access that the Nobel Peace Prize offers to elevate the voices and support the work of women peace activists around the world.