Delegation: Palestinian Women's Resistance, Resilience and Rights

Introduction

In April 2025, Nobel Women’s Initiative (NWI), in collaboration with partners, hosted a delegation to the Middle East focused on Palestinian women. The delegation visited the West Bank and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

The delegation aimed to uplift, support, and strengthen Palestinian women's agency, express solidarity, and contribute to international advocacy for a permanent ceasefire, an end to the occupation, an arms embargo, full accountability for violations of international law, and a just, peaceful, and dignified life for all.

Led by Nobel Peace Prize laureates Tawakkol Karman, Dr. Shirin Ebadi, and Jody Williams, the delegation engaged with and amplified the work of women’s organizations at the forefront of defending human rights and resisting oppression, occupation, and military aggression in the region. Nobel laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk joined the delegation remotely.

Reflecting on the visit, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jody Williams stated:

“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.”

Objectives   

The aims of the 2025 delegation were:

• Fostering Collaboration: The delegation strengthened partnerships between local actors and global stakeholders to drive meaningful impact, using a survivor-centered approach.

• Engaging and amplifying Palestinian Women’s Voices: Participants engaged directly with Palestinian women-led organizations and feminist leaders to better understand their challenges and amplify their solutions and perspectives.  

• Highlighting Lived Experiences: Throughout the delegation, the lived experiences of Palestinian women and girls were documented and shared in a way that uplifted and empowered them, countering harmful and stigmatizing narratives.
• Influencing Policy Change: Delegates collaborated with Palestinian partners to influence international and national policymakers on critical issues.

Programme  

This delegation brought together diverse perspectives while navigating severe access restrictions imposed by Israel. A small team from the Nobel Women’s Initiative traveled to Jerusalem and the West Bank to witness and stand in solidarity with women in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Nobel laureates engaged with women and communities in the West Bank through both remote and in-person meetings, with representatives traveling to Amman, Jordan. Although entry to Gaza was impossible, delegates connected remotely with women in Gaza and met face-to-face with those who had fled. In Amman, the delegation met with Palestinian communities and civil society leaders to hear their stories and amplify their voices. Despite the challenges, the delegation remained focused on presence, connection, and a steadfast commitment to justice through solidarity visits, advocacy meetings, dialogues with women activists and human rights defenders, and subsequent press engagement.

The Final Report

This powerful report documents Nobel Women’s Initiative’s April 2025 delegation to Palestine and Jordan. Through deeply personal testimonies from the women encountered along the way, it reveals the daily realities of systemic violence, gendered oppression, and humanitarian collapse—while also honoring the unbreakable spirit of Sumoud, or steadfast resistance, embodied by Palestinian women. The report calls for a permanent ceasefire, an arms embargo, and urgent, rights-based action and support, amplifying the voices of women who, despite relentless adversity, continue to lead, resist, and reimagine freedom and justice.

Laureate Statement on Illegal Occupation in Palestine

• Nobel Peace Prize Laureate statement "Women Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Bear Witness to Genocide, Ethnic Cleansing and Illegal Occupation in Palestine" in English and Arabic

Media Coverage

• Irish lawyer-turned-peace campaigner calls for public to lobby TDs after ‘chilling’ West Bank visit. Irish Independent. 17 May 2025.
• Podcast: Maria Butler talks about her journey, our work as NWI, and powerful reflections from the recent delegation to Palestine. Kildare Today. 22 May 2025.
• 'Voices from Gaza: We're dying from the world turning its back on us'. The Irish Times. 10 May, 2025. 
• The Irish Times ‘So much gratitude in West Bank for Irish solidarity’: How Nobel Prize-winners are raising Palestinians’ plight. 
• Newswire press release "Nobel Laureates Travel to Meet With Palestinian Women"
• Nobel Peace Prize Laureate statement "Women Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Bear Witness to Genocide, Ethnic Cleansing and Illegal Occupation in Palestine" in English and Arabic
• Arab Renaissance for Democracy & Development statement "Women Nobel Peace Laureates and Jordanian Human Rights Defenders Call for Collective Action for Peace and Security"
• UNRWA press release "UNRWA students in Jordan share hopes and dreams with women Nobel Peace Prize laureates" in English and Arabic

Reflections

• Reflections by Executive Director Maria Butler: "Bearing Witness: Day One in the West Bank with NWI's Delegation to Palestine and Jordan"
• Reflections by delegation participant Shahd Almahameed: "Reflections on Nobel Women's Initiative Delegation to Amman"
• Reflections by Rawan Yousef: "Weaponized Relief: Feminist Reflections On The Use of Aid As A Tool Of War In Gaza"
• Reflections by Rawan Yousef: “From the Hilltops to the Knesset: How Settler Violence is Embedded in Israeli Policy ”
• Reflections by Rawan Yousef: “Sumoud as a Feminist Tactic: Practicing Everyday Resistance”
• Reflections by Dildar Kaya: “Witnessing the Politics and Psychology of Control in Palestine”

Delegation Photos

Photos of the delegation can be found here