An unacceptably high percentage of women and girls in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip continue to be exposed to gender-based violence, in many instances with little to no accountability for perpetrators. Campaigns against women’s rights are on the rise, placing undue obstacles to the work of women human rights defenders, activists, and journalists.

The Palestinian Authority demonstrated an important commitment in the past towards strengthening the legal status of women’s rights in Palestine, by adopting a Cross-Sectoral National Gender Strategy, and acceding to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

The EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah call on the Palestinian Authority to follow up on these commitments with concrete action, starting with the publication of CEDAW in the Official Gazette, and the adoption of a Family Protection Bill in full alignment with international standards and following an effective and transparent consultation with civil society organizations.

The EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah reiterate their support to Palestinian reconciliation, also in view of reunifying legal systems in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and ensuring the equal protection and rights of all women and girls in the entire occupied Palestinian territory.