Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has pledged to issue legislation that aims to empower women and allow them to enjoy social equality.
“The Palestinian woman plays a great role in the development process in the local community,” he said in a recorded speech on the occasion of International Women’s Day, which is celebrated on March 8.
“We are proud of the levels women have reached in professions. They have become doctors, engineers, writers, entrepreneurs and business women.”
Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Executive Committee Saeb Erekat recalled stages of the Palestinian women’s struggle in the Palestinian Territories.
He saluted women held in Israeli prisons and mothers of the martyrs, expressing Palestine’s pride in them and their sacrifices to achieve “the legitimate rights of our people to gain sovereignty of the state according to the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said Israeli occupation is the main obstacle hindering women from achieving their rights and self-reliance and integrating in the development process of their society.
The ministry stressed the importance of immediate cessation of all measures that are inconsistent with international law, as well as discriminatory legislation, policies and procedures committed by Israel against Palestinian women and girls, who are the most affected by its policies, crimes and racist practices.
It noted that in 2019, nine Palestinian women and 28 children were killed by Israeli forces. A total of 732 women and 227 girls were injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip.
Since March 30, 2018, more than 2,000 women and 600 children were injured during the peaceful return marches in the Gaza Strip. Some inhaled tear gas and others were hit by live or rubber bullets fired by the Israeli troops.
