Over four days, the delegation brought together Nobel Peace Laureates, grassroots feminists, doctors, academics, and advocates from across the region and beyond. Our shared intention was to center the voices of Palestinian women and amplify their resistance in the face of occupation, patriarchy, and systemic oppression.
The Power of "Showing Up"
One of the most touching moments came when Maria reminded us that “showing up matters.” She spoke of a young girl in Gaza who was shot in the leg while sitting in her home, just one story among countless others. Her words affirmed that while we may not be able to change the course of imperial violence overnight, we can disrupt silence. We can bear witness. We can show up. And that act, though simple, is deeply political.
Firsthand Testimonies: From Gaza to Amman
Throughout the delegation, we heard firsthand accounts from UNRWA staff who had just returned from Gaza, doctors who had worked under bombardment, and patients who managed to escape the blockade to seek cancer treatment in Jordan. Each story was a thread in the larger tapestry of Palestinian survival and defiance.
We also visited the Gaza refugee camp in Jordan, where the realities of exile, memory, and longing were etched into every corner. The physical absence of Gaza was tangible and yet, Gaza was everywhere in the voices of its people. That paradox stayed with me.
Engaging with Palestinian Leaders and Activists
The roundtable discussions were filled with urgency. We heard from Palestinian women organizers and leaders navigating shrinking civic space, surveillance, and criminalization. We learned how the Palestinian Authority has increasingly labeled civil society organizations as “terrorist entities” to cut their funding and limit their work. These tactics are particularly devastating for women’s rights defenders, who are often at the intersection of state violence
and patriarchal backlash.
Dr. Areen shared that after October 7, even basic expressions of empathy became punishable. Doctors were reprimanded for showing emotion while treating patients from Gaza. The threat of being accused of “collaboration with the enemy” now looms over every act of care, making the mere act of compassion a liability.
Her story about a friend from the West Bank who had never seen the sea was deeply symbolic—a painful reminder of how the occupation not only takes land but robs people of simple human experiences. Her analogy that Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are treated as “slaves of the field,” while those in the ’48 territories are “slaves of the house,” cut through the room with clarity and grief.
Health Under Siege: Dr. Asma’s Testimony
One of the most difficult sessions to sit through—and perhaps the most necessary—was with Dr. Asma, a surgeon in Nablus. She spoke of being harassed at checkpoints, of not knowing whether she would be able to reach her hospital each day. Of watching people die not because there wasn’t a treatment, but because the medicine was blocked. “What is the world waiting for?” she asked us, her voice shaking. I had no answer.
Women, Peace & Security (WPS) – A Feminist Lens on War and Resistance
A dedicated roundtable focused on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jordan, featuring Dr. Aseel Jallad—the first Arab female doctor to enter Gaza—and Dr. Salma Alnims, a gender justice expert. Dr. Aseel described the impossible conditions in which she worked, delivering babies while bombs fell outside, then having to send mothers home just hours later because there were no safe places to recover. Dr. Salma reminded us that peacebuilding is not truly feminist if it depends on the same colonial systems that perpetuate occupation and patriarchy.
International Solidarity and the Role of Global Feminist Movements
The Nobel Laureates in the delegation carried decades of struggle in their words. Dr. Shirin Ebadi, the first Muslim woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, urged feminist movements around the world not to abandon Palestine. She reminded us that real solidarity is uncomfortable, especially when it challenges dominant political narratives. Jody Williams, another laureate, echoed this by sharing how her own advocacy has long resisted the politics of respectability and compliance with imperial powers.
Their presence affirmed what I’ve always believed: that feminist movements must remain uncompromising in the face of injustice. That liberation is either collective—or it is not liberation at all.
Personal Reflections
Being part of this delegation was not just about listening—it was about feeling. I felt the anger in my chest when I heard about the criminalization of grief. I felt the ache of exile when I walked through the Gaza camp. I felt the power of sisterhood as we sat in rooms where pain was transformed into purpose.
This delegation was a mirror, reminding me of the privileges I hold and the responsibilities that come with them. As someone from the SWANA region, it is not enough to be informed, I must remain engaged. This experience reaffirmed my commitment to feminist and intersectional organizing where justice is not a theory but a living daily practice.
Key Takeaways
- Women’s rights are about freedom, dignity, and justice, not just parity.
- Occupation and patriarchy are interconnected systems of oppression that must be challenged together.
- Solidarity requires presence, listening, and action. “Showing up” is not just symbolic, it’s essential.
- The international community must stop the dehumanization of Palestinians, do more to support grassroots feminist movements, amplify Palestinian voices, and hold institutions accountable for violence and injustice.
- Feminist peacebuilding cannot be separated from political liberation. Palestinian women must be at the center of peace processes, not as victims, but as agents of change.
This delegation deepened my understanding of what it means to stand with Palestine—not just in words, but in embodiment. It reminded me that proximity is not neutrality. That silence is a choice. And that there is no liberation without the liberation of Palestine.
Shahd is an ecofeminist and peacebuilder with over five years of experience in international and local NGOs across the SWANA region.
She has led programs focused on climate, gender, and spatial justice, working virtually in Jordan, Libya, Tunisia, North Macedonia, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka. She holds a BA in Applied English and an MA in Human Rights and Human Development from the University of Jordan.
A proud Lazord Fellow, Shahd also contributed to the Public Policies for Innovation Program, producing policy papers that highlight the need to boost women’s civic e-participation in political processes.
