Prominent human rights defender and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Tawakkol Karman has welcomed the announcement of an agreement between the Palestinians and Israel, mediated by U.S. President Donald Trump and supported by Qatar and Egypt.

The deal, which includes a ceasefire, a prisoner exchange, and the urgent opening of humanitarian corridors into Gaza, was described by Karman as “an essential first step toward halting the ongoing war of annihilation and safeguarding what remains of innocent civilian life.”

While acknowledging the agreement’s humanitarian value, Karman cautioned that it should not be viewed as genuine peace unless it evolves into a just and lasting one.

“True peace,” she said, “requires a complete end to the occupation, the lifting of the inhumane siege on Gaza, and the restoration of the Palestinian people’s full and inalienable national rights — foremost among them the right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.”

Karman stressed that justice cannot prevail while the occupation continues, war criminals remain beyond accountability, and Palestinians are denied freedom and dignity.

She warned that any agreement failing to restore the Palestinians’ legitimate rights, end the war crimes and genocide in Gaza, and pave the way toward a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital “remains incomplete” and cannot embody the aspirations of a people who have endured decades of dispossession and suffering.

Despite these concerns, Karman expressed hope that the accord could serve as a step toward a path of just peace — provided there is sincere political will and a shared understanding that “there can be no lasting security or stability in the region without justice for the Palestinian people and freedom for Palestine.”

Here is the statment:

I welcome the announcement of the agreement reached between the Palestinians and Israel, mediated by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and supported by the State of Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt. The accord encompasses a ceasefire, the exchange of prisoners, and the immediate opening of humanitarian corridors into Gaza. It represents an essential first step toward halting the ongoing war of annihilation and safeguarding what remains of innocent civilian life.

Yet, while this development holds undeniable humanitarian importance, it must not be mistaken for a genuine peace unless it matures into one that is both just and enduring—one that brings a definitive end to the occupation, lifts the inhumane siege imposed on Gaza, and restores to the Palestinian people their full and inalienable national rights, foremost among them the right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Justice cannot prevail so long as the occupation persists, war criminals remain beyond accountability, and the Palestinian people are denied their freedom and dignity.

Any agreement that fails to restore the legitimate rights of the Palestinians, that does not put an end to the war crimes and genocide in Gaza, and that does not pave the way toward the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, remains incomplete. Such an accord cannot be called just, nor can it embody the aspirations of a people who have endured generations of dispossession and suffering.

Nonetheless, I believe that this agreement—if accompanied by sincere intent and a collective recognition that there can be no lasting security, stability, or peace in the region without justice for the Palestinian people and freedom for Palestine—can serve as the threshold of a path toward a just and genuine peace.

Tawakkol Karman
The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate