The Palestinian BDS National Committee celebrates International Women's Day, says "Justice is always a feminist issue. And in turn, justice in Palestine is a feminist issue, and the rights of women are fundamental to our movement’s pursuit of a safe, just and dignified world for all."
The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC) celebrates International Women’s Day alongside social justice movements around the world. We stand in solidarity with the collective actions taken to mark this day.
Today we reaffirm our commitment to support women’s and feminist struggles in Palestine and across the globe and to promote the contributions, leadership and voices of women in our work and in our lives.
Our commitment to women’s rights is rooted in our belief in freedom, justice and equality for all, a vision that is meaningless without a commitment to gender, economic and racial equality. Our movement works in solidarity with all women and LGBTQI* groups fighting for meaningful equality, and is attentive to the struggles of women of color specifically.
Anchored in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the BNC unequivocally rejects all forms of racism, misogyny and discrimination. We are in solidarity with all women who are subjected to violence, including the violence of sexual harassment and assault, human trafficking and the exploitation of workers.
Justice is always a feminist issue. And in turn, justice in Palestine is a feminist issue, and the rights of women are fundamental to our movement’s pursuit of a safe, just and dignified world for all.
Since the beginning of the Palestinian anti-colonial struggle, women have played an essential role on all fronts, from preserving Palestinian identity to resisting ethnic cleansing. Palestinian women poets, writers, artists and feminists have contributed significantly to articulating our collective vision towards liberation and social emancipation.
We recognize that Israel’s multi-faceted system of oppression targets Palestinian women in particular. Israel views them as a “demographic threat” — demonizing them simply because they might choose to have children and play an important part in raising new generations of our people. Some prominent Israeli figures have openly called for the mass killing or raping of Palestinian women.
Today, like everyday, we salute women who are at the frontlines wherever patriarchal oppression is aggravated by racial, economic, caste or other forms of discrimination. We stand with women who endure the brunt of war, repression and military occupation, who endure the dispossession suffered by rural and indigenous communities, the exploitation wreaked by neoliberal policies, and the criminalization targeting migrant and other communities.
We reiterate the call by Palestinian women's organizations and unions on March 8, 2016:
We call on all women and feminists around the world to stand on the right side of history and join our BDS movement. … Justice is always a feminist agenda.
The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) is the largest coalition in Palestinian civil society. It leads and supports the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement for Palestinian rights.