Sir, – As the UN Charter marks its 75th anniversary, the most protracted conflict in the world is taking a most dangerous turn with the announcement of Israel’s plan to annex large and vital parts of Palestinian territory on the basis of the Trump Middle East plan which contradicts the internationally agreed parameters for peace and international law.
Such a move would unravel half a century of efforts for peace in the region and the vision of two sovereign states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, based on the pre-1967 borders, with far-reaching consequences.
It is in this context, and on this 20th anniversary of the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, that Israeli and Palestinian women reminded the world why it was so important to hear and heed the voices of women in situations of conflict.
We have received urgent appeals against annexation sent by both Palestinian and Israeli women.
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Their strong appeals, while separate and distinct, have in common a sense of shared humanity, and a common rejection of subjugation and discrimination, oppression and violence.
Both appeals are grounded in international law and in the landmark resolution 1325 which calls for protection of civilians, notably women and girls, the critical importance of women’s voices and meaningful participation in conflict resolution and peace negotiations, in ensuring durable peace and building a just and hopeful future for both peoples based on respect for international law and accountability.
Their voices resonate as they stress that annexation is an existential threat to Palestinians, to Israelis, to regional stability and to an already fragile global order.
We must not leave their appeal unanswered as they ask for our “support and engagement in a global partnership to save the prospect for a just, equal, and lasting resolution to the conflict”, for the well-being of present and future generations.
They remind us that we have “the power of our collective will to challenge aggression, coercion, and violence and to end impunity and injustice so freedom and peace can prevail”.
Annexation is a breach of international law and the UN Charter, and of UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.
It contravenes the fundamental international norm banning the acquisition of territory by force and aims at perpetuating the illegal Israeli settlement enterprise, entrenching occupation instead of ending it.
It will severely jeopardise the prospect of regional peace, security and stability with grave implications for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples, but also for Jordan and the wider region.
It will fragment Palestinian land and effectively consecrate Palestinian enclaves under permanent Israeli military control.
The dignity and rights of the Palestinian people, the ability of Israel to be an integral and accepted part of the region, regional peace, security and prosperity and the wider international rules-based order are at stake. Annexation cannot go unchallenged, and strong international engagement is more needed than ever, including through effective measures to deter illegal unilateral actions, and achieve just and lasting peace.
We support the Palestinian and Israeli women’s call against unilateral annexation and back their efforts to prevent its disastrous consequences. It was conceived almost entirely by men without any reference to the diverse perspectives of women. We must be guided by the humanity and resolve of courageous women who have suffered greatly from the conflict and yet refuse to be blinded by hate.
Their words envision the future the region needs and deserves.
Our actions must help this vision prevail. – Yours, etc,
MICHELINE CALMY-REY,
former president of
Switzerland;
TARJA HALONEN,
former president of Finland;
ROZA OTUNBAYEVA,
former president
of Kyrgyzstan;
MARY ROBINSON,
former UN commissioner
for human rights, former
president of Ireland;
ELLEN
JOHNSON SIRLEAF,
Nobel Peace Prize laureate,
former president of Liberia;
GRO HARLEM
BRUNDTLAND,
former director general
of the World Health
Organisation, former
prime minister of Norway;
HELEN CLARK,
former United Nations
Development Programme
administrator, former prime
minister of New Zealand;
JÓHANNA
SIGURÐARDÓTTIR,
former prime minister
of Iceland;
GRAÇA MACHEL,
co-founder of the Elders
with Nelson Mandela,
international advocate
for women’s and children’s rights, freedom fighter,
first minister of education,
Mozambique;
ISABEL SAINT
MALO DE ALVARADO,
former vice-president
of Panama;
LENA HJELM-WALLEN,
former deputy prime
minister and minister for
foreign affairs, Sweden;
MARGOT WALLSTRÖM,
former deputy prime
minister and minister for
foreign affairs, Sweden;
BENITA
FERRERO-WALDNER,
former European
commissioner for external
relations and former foreign minister, Austria;
SUSANA MALCORRA,
former minister of foreign
affairs, Argentina;
ASHA ROSE MIGIRO,
former United Nations
deputy secretary general,
former minister of foreign
affairs, Tanzania;
BARBARA HOGAN,
former political prisoner,
former minister of health,
South Africa;
PATRICIA B LICUANAN,
former chairwoman,
UN Commission on
the Status of Women,
former minister of
higher education,
Philippines;
SIMA SAMAR,
former minister of
women’s affairs,
Afghanistan;
MELANNE VERVEER,
former ambassador for
global women’s issues, US;
LUISA MORGANTINI,
former vice-president
and former chair of
the Committee on
Development of the
European Parliament,
Italy;
SHIRIN EBADI,
Nobel Peace Prize laureate;
MAIREAD MAGUIRE,
Nobel Peace Prize laureate;
JODY WILLIAMS,
Nobel Peace Prize laureate;
REBECCA JOHNSON,
Co-founding first
president of the Nobel
Peace Laureate
International Campaign
to Abolish Nuclear
Weapons (ICAN);
KAREN ABUZAYD,
former UN under-secretary general, former
commissioner general
for United Nations Relief
and Works Agency;
RADHIKA
COOMARASWAMY,
former UN under-secretary general and special
representative for children and armed conflict;
NOELEEN HEYZER,
former executive director, UN Development Fund
for Women, former UN
under-secretary general
and executive secretary of
the Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and
the Pacific;
NAVI PILLAY,
former UN high
commissioner for
human rights;
JOANNE SANDLER,
former deputy executive
director, UN Development
Fund for Women;
FATIHA SEROUR, former
deputy special
representative of the
UN secretary general,
Member of the Africa
Group for Justice
and Accountability;
FARIDA SHAHEED,
former UN special
rapporteur on
cultural rights;
MARY KERRY KENNEDY,
President of Robert
F Kennedy Human Rights
Organisation;
CHARLOTTE BUNCH,
Distinguished professor
and founding director,
Centre for Women’s Global
Leadership, Rutgers
University;
ANNE MARIE GOETZ,
former chief adviser on
governance, peace
and security for the
United Nations
Development Fund
for Women,
Professor, Centre for Global
Affairs, New York
University;
ANNE-MARIE
SLAUGHTER,
Former director of
policy planning for the
US Department of State;
NAYEREH TOHIDI,
Former chair of the
Department of Gender
& Women Studies and
founding director of
Middle Eastern and Islamic
Studies, California State
University.