Open Letter to President Biden
nwi admin
Jakarta, November 12th, 2023
To H.E. President Joseph Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Biden,
I am writing to you today with tears for the ongoing war in Palestine, which has taken a particularly devastating death toll on women and children. The situation has caused immense suffering, and it is imperative that we urgently address the grave issue of innocent women and children being killed in this war.
The images and reports show the death toll as a result of the Israeli aggression on the Palestine soil since October 7 is 9,500, including 3,900 children and 2,509 women (according to Gaza Media Office on November 5th, 2023). Moreover, the innocent lives lost are not just statistics; they represent mothers, daughters, and sons whose dreams and futures have been cruelly stolen. The suffering of women and children in Palestine is beyond measure and cannot be allowed to continue.
Throughout history, women and children have consistently borne the brunt of the consequences of war, suffering long-term hardships. Israel’s war in Palestine exemplifies this tragic reality, as it continues to take a heavy toll on the lives of women and children with each passing day, of which the international community call this Genocide as a humanitarian tragedy.
Human Rights Watch has reported that shelter conditions in Palestine for the estimated 1.4 million internally displaced people have become dire. According to the UN Population Fund, about 50,000 pregnant women in the Palestine lack access to essential health services and over 5,500 women are expected to give birth, all in the absence of adequate medical facilities.
A UN rapid gender analysis of the situation echoes these concerns. The impact of the conflict on women and children is a tragedy that should awaken our collective conscience. Their suffering underscores the urgent need for the international community to press for the restoration of electricity and water supplies, the allowance of fuel into Palestine, and the opening of border crossings for humanitarian aid.
Amid all the atrocities of the Palestine war, sadly that last month marked the anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on “Women, Peace, and Security.” In October 2000, the resolution was adopted, recognizing the role of women in strengthening their participation in decision-making, ending sexual violence and impunity, and strengthening prospects for sustainable peace.
Therefore I urge you to take the following steps:
1. Stop the US military support for Israel in all forms.
2. Take immediate action for unconditional ceasefire on all sides of the war to protect the lives of women and children.
3. Call for international humanitarian aids to end the suffering from Genocide in Palestine.
4. Urge Israel to immediately implement UN Resolution on two-state solution with peaceful agreement.
I emphasize that this Genocide which is shown every day in the world’s mainstream media outlet and social media has a devastating effect to the women and children around the globe, which will stay as a traumatic experience and sooner or later I am afraid they will put the blame on the US as the main supporter to Israel.
As the President of Nuraa Women’s Institute and an SDGs Global Ambassador for Women Political Leaders (WPL), I believe that sustainable development goals (SDGs 2030) which was signed by 193 countries with the ultimate goal of “leave no one behind” can only be achieved through international commitment to stop war. The people of Palestine, especially women and children, are not excluded from the SDGs, so they deserve to live in peace and prosperity, free from Genocide.
In closing, I would like to thank you for your attention and consideration to this urgent matter and your commitment to ending the Genocide in Palestine. Your leadership and actions in advocating for a peaceful resolution to the war and the protection of innocent lives will be memorized as a hero who stands for women and children in these terrible times.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Nurhayati Ali Assegaf
President, Nuraa Women’s Institute
