The Militarized Character of the UNSCR 1325 National Action Plans in Palestine: Women at the crossfire between militarized identities and security narratives

Abstract

In Palestine, the domestication of UNSCR 1325—through the development and implementation of National Actions Plans (NAPs)—has been impacted and shaped by a prolonged military occupation and violent internal political division. The essay explores the effects of the longstanding domestic militarization of NAPs in Palestine, posing the question of whether the plans have unleashed a transformative potential or whether they have perpetuated the status quo. Building on feminist international relations and critical masculinities scholarship on militaries and war, it offers a detailed analysis of the two NAPs that have been produced in Palestine: their political gestation, their policy content, and their implementation. It is argued—with references to interviews with policymakers and stakeholders—that the NAPs have only partially been successful in “meaningfully” advancing women’s rights, as they have not addressed a pervasive culture of violence reinforced by the militarized aspects of a “security state”, with its masculine discursive manifestations. This failure has resulted in NAP policies that integrate women into militarized structures, while leaving them without effective mechanisms to hold authorities to account for gender-based inequalities and violence.