Dismayed over America's support of Israel's war on Gaza, two women activists return awards to US Department of State

AMMAN — Two Jordanian women activists have decided to return awards they received from the US Department of State in response to the US administration’s support of Israel in its war against the Gaza Strip.

Director of Tamkeen organisation Linda Kalash told The Jordan Times on Wednesday that she decided to relinquish the "Anti-Human Trafficking Champion" award given by the US State Department in 2010 due to American support for Israel in the aggression on Gaza”.

In a letter addressed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Kalash stated that she was honoured by the US State Department as a heroine in the fight against human trafficking.

However, Kalash added that “in condemnation of the United States' position on the war in Gaza, I decided to withdraw my acceptance of the award”.

“The US showed a lack of respect for human rights… and the US’s position aligns with that of the Israeli occupation,” Kalash stated.

The US has played a significant role in "engineering the genocide against the people of Gaza by providing the Israeli occupation with weapons, funds, and various forms of material and moral support”, Kalash stated.

She concluded her letter by stating: "I remain committed to being a champion in the fight against human trafficking, even though this may be insignificant compared to the heroism displayed by the people in occupied Palestine. But, again, I refuse to let my efforts be acknowledged by a government that fails to respect human rights."  

Meanwhile, Director General of the Justice Centre for Legal Aid Hadeel Abdel Aziz was awarded the International Woman of Courage (IWOC) by the US State Department of State for her role in the field of human rights during a ceremony at the White House along with 10 distinguished women from around the world.

On November 10,  Abdel Aziz told The Jordan Times that she sent a letter to US First Lady Jill Biden stating, “Like all Jordanians, I have been following closely with great pain and shock all the events that have taken place for over one month, watching as Palestinians in Gaza are bombarded relentlessly, and by internationally prohibited weapons.”

“Civilians, schools, hospitals, medical staff, UN staff being not only bombarded, but targeted, has been horrific to watch,” she added.

It is regrettable that “the US is dismissing those horrific crimes as casualties of war, and persistently blocking all attempts to ceasefire based on the pretext of Israel’s right to self-defence”, Abdel Aziz stated.

“The US unequivocally focuses on the Israeli suffering, ignoring a context of long occupation, de-humanisation and violation of international law and continuous suffering of the Palestinians,” according to Abdel Aziz.

She added: “It pains me to inform you that the IWOC award that once filled me with pride now brings me such shame and sorrow, as I no longer can associate it with courage nor with justice.”

“I regret to inform you that I am giving back the award in an effort to protest the US policies in Gaza. I realise that the voice of one woman may not be impactful, but this is another small battle that I feel obliged to take on,” Abdel Aziz added.

Earlier this week, some 53 local and Arab women and human rights organisations signed a statement calling on the civil society to boycott the American embassies in protest.

“Today the American position has gone beyond bias towards the occupying state [of Israel], to involvement in war crimes in Gaza, full partnership with the occupation, disregard for the rules of international humanitarian law,” the statement said.

The signatories called for a permanent boycott of the American embassies by not attending its activities and events and rejecting its official invitations. 

The statement also called for the halt of funding provided by the US government and its agencies.

“We also call on human rights activists to return any award they have received from the US government and its embassies worldwide,” the statement said.   

Local activists and human rights organisations have repeatedly criticised the US and Western “biased stand towards Israel and the double standard positions they have adopted towards the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip”.

The Israeli assaults on Gaza since October 7 have resulted in the death of over 12,000 Palestinians.

The Israeli aggression also led to the destruction of the Gaza Strip’s infrastructure, healthcare facilities and services, causing displacement and power outages and depriving some 2 million people of clean water, food, medical supplies and fuel.