Palestinian activist supports YPJ's demands

The campaign supporting the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), which calls for their official recognition in the new Syrian constitution, is gaining increasing momentum. In this context, a Palestinian activist has declared her support for the YPJ's demands, stressing the necessity of ensuring their participation as a key component in any future arrangement, while respecting their distinct identity as a women-led framework that reflects women’s will and choices.

8 May, 2026 13:28

NEWSDESK

Palestinian activist Soad Abdul Rahman announced her support for the struggle of the YPJ and for the campaign calling for their official recognition in the new Syrian constitution, as well as their integration into the structure of the Ministry of Defense.

Her position comes amid a growing number of female activists expressing support for the YPJ and their role, as dozens of activists from Yemen, Lebanon, Algeria, Palestine, and Iraq have sent messages of solidarity with the units and their struggle to secure their rights and the rights of Syrian women.

In her statement, Soad Abdul Rahman said that the experience of the YPJ “was not merely a temporary military phenomenon, but rather an advanced model of women’s role in defending society and preserving its dignity.” She emphasized that the women in the units have demonstrated their ability to take responsibility and actively contribute to protecting human values in the face of violence and extremism.

She added that ignoring or downplaying this role in any future political process “constitutes an unjust exclusion of women’s struggle and sacrifices,” stressing the need to recognize the YPJ as an essential component of any future formula, while respecting their identity as an independent women’s framework that reflects women’s will and choices.

She also called on women’s rights and feminist organizations to unify efforts to ensure women’s participation in protection systems and decision-making structures, considering this “an inherent right linked to the principles of justice and equality.”

Previously, the Joint Platform of Women’s Movements and Organizations in Rojava announced on April 26 the launch of a campaign demanding official recognition of the YPJ, and their inclusion in the integration process under the January 29 agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the interim government in Syria, one of whose clauses stipulates the integration of SDF-affiliated military forces, including the YPJ, into the structure of the Ministry of Defense.

Despite official meetings held in April between the leadership of the YPJ and the Ministry of Defense, and statements referring to a positive atmosphere, no concrete or serious steps have yet been taken on the ground.

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ANHA