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Hold Israel Accountable—End the Genocide: WILPF Echoes Palestinian Demands Ahead of the UN Two-State Summit

12 June 2025

Ahead of the UN two-state conference in NYC, WILPF calls on member states to break with complicity: impose a two-way arms embargo and sweeping sanctions, uphold Palestinian self-determination and right of return, and ensure Palestinian women’s full, equal participation—because accountability is the only path to real peace. 

The upcoming High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, which will take place in New York in June 2025, must be a moment for UN member states to urgently uphold, without delay, their obligations under international law to ensure that the genocide in Gaza ends, that Israel is held accountable for perpetrating it, and that Israel’s apartheid regime and illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories cease.  

As indicated by the Palestinian Civil Society Unified call to Action, any discussion of the two-state political solution, including approaches that promote dialogue with Israeli authorities, organizations, or individuals who do not challenge the settler-colonial reality or recognize Palestinians' fundamental rights to self-determination and return ultimately serve to whitewash Israel's ongoing crimes, and is not viable for upholding the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.  

WILPF endorses the following key demands, in alignment with the policy submission by the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) to UN member states with regards to the implementation of UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/ES-10/24.  

1. States must implement UNGA resolution A/RES/ES-10/24 without prejudice to the other inalienable rights that are not addressed by this resolution or by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion in the case of South Africa v. Israel. Foremost among these rights are the right to self-determination and the right of the Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and lands and to receive reparations in accordance with UNGA resolution 194. 

2. Under the Genocide Convention, States have an immediate duty to impose sanctions on Israel, to not be complicit for failing to prevent genocide. Israel’s continued military operations, including escalating genocidal measures, forced starvation, and pursuing annexation, are incompatible with compliance with both the UNGA resolution A/RES/ES-10/24 and the ICJ Advisory Opinion. Under their Third State obligations, states are required to avoid or terminate recognition, aid, or assistance that enables the crimes of genocide and/or helps to maintain Israel’s illegal presence in the OPT and system of apartheid.

3. States must impose, unilaterally and collectively, comprehensive two-way arms embargoes, including 1) No sale or transfer or arms, munitions or parts to Israel; 2) No purchase of arms, munitions or parts from Israel; 3) No transshipment through ports or airports of any of the above items; and 4) No military/intelligence cooperation, joint exercises with Israel, or joint research. 

4. States must also impose trade, diplomatic, energy, banking and other forms of sanctions against Israel until there is full compliance with international law and all relevant UN resolutions. The actions of the Government of Israel indicate that it is further entrenching its illegal presence in the OPT, apartheid, and genocide. As a result, sanctions against illegal settlements are insufficient as they fail to comprehensively address the ways in which illegal settlements are sustained by the government and broader apartheid regime. 

5. Suspend Israel from the UN General Assembly, on the grounds that it has failed to comply with its conditions as a UN member state, namely by refusing to implement resolution 194 and other UNSC and UNGA resolutions, systematically infringing upon its duties towards the UN, violating the protections afforded to UN bodies such as UNRWA and UNIFIL, killing UN staff, destroying UN facilities and schools, and failing to respect the good offices of the Secretary-General.

6. All discussions must ensure the full, equal, and meaningful participation of Palestinian women, and must address the structural gendered dimensions and impacts of genocide, apartheid, settler colonialism, and occupation, including reproductive violence, settler violence, and sexual and gender-based violence, in line with State obligations and commitments under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Women, Peace and Security agenda under UN Security Council resolution 1325.

As a feminist organization with a vision of permanent peace built on foundations of freedom, justice, nonviolence, human rights, and equality for all, WILPF stands in firm solidarity with the Palestinian people and their struggle against apartheid, occupation, settler colonialism, and genocide. In doing so, WILPF affirms the demands articulated by Palestinian organizations, including the right to self-determination, a peremptory norm under international law, for all 15 million Palestinians. This right extends beyond statehood to encompass the collective will of the Palestinian people to freely determine their political status and to pursue economic, social, and cultural development, including sovereignty over their land and resources. WILPF also supports the right of return for all Palestinian refugees displaced during the Nakba (1948), the Naksa (1967), and in all subsequent waves of forced displacement. Furthermore, it upholds the right to full reparation, including restitution, compensation, satisfaction, and guarantees of non-repetition.

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