Ramallah – 21/11/2021 – MIFTAH recently completed two days of training workshops on the application of the gender charter in local councils, targeting both men and women working in local councils in 11 West Bank districts, particularly in the planning, policies, follow-up and evaluation departments. The workshops were part of the joint efforts between MIFTAH, the Ministry of Local Government and GIZ on the institutionalization of regulations pertaining to the gender charter, which was issued by the Ministry of Local Government in 2007. This includes the charter’s amendments, which were followed up by MIFTAH in 2018-2019.

The activity was part of the project “Institutionalizing the principles of comprehensive governance in local councils through application of the gender charter”, which aims to enhance employee capacities in the use of the manual on the executive bylaws in local government directorates and local councils, especially those in the planning, policies, follow-up and evaluation departments. The objective of this is to push towards the institutionalization of gender in local councils along with the auxiliary annex to the bylaws, which was prepared in cooperation and coordination with the Ministry of Local Government in 2019.

The training program covered several topics including: obstacles and challenges facing women in local councils, through a brief review of the gender charter; obligations of local councils towards the charter and executive and procedural regulations; the role of the Ministry of Local Government in implementing these regulations; planning for follow-up processes on the application of the gender charter in the directorates.

The participants confirmed the importance of employing the concepts of nondiscrimination, equity and equality in addition to participation and empowerment in the internal and external environment of local councils. This, they said, requires plans supported by gender-responsive budgets, formulated by integrating all sectors within the local councils and through organizing meetings between local government councils and directorates after the current elections are over. The objective, they continued, is to follow-up on the performance indicators regarding the implementation of the gender charter, which would be overseen by specialized departments in the Ministry of Local Government. The participants confirmed the need for periodic continuity in the capacity-building of employees on the gender charter, which they said would contribute to setting up channels of action within the councils and would support the developmental visions on the agenda of new members in local councils.

On her part, MIFTAH project manager Najwa Yaghi, said the training was part of MIFTAH’s strategic approaches to promote the principles of good governance in official institutions and local councils. She continued that they also fall within MIFTAH’s efforts to develop public policies that guarantee the protection of all citizens’ rights, the promotion of Palestinian women’s empowerment in public life and that guarantee their representation in decision-making positions.

Ramallah -- 11/11/2021 – MIFTAH recently completed training workshops on the application of the gender charter in local councils as part of its strategic approach to promote good governance in official institutions and local councils. This is also part of the organization’s efforts to develop public policies that guarantee the protection of citizens’ rights and promote the participation of Palestinian women in public life and their representation in decision-making positions. The workshops were held over three days in the northern, central and southern West Bank districts and included local council employees in 11 West Bank districts. The training was a continuation of joint efforts between MIFTAH, the Ministry of Local Government and GIZ regarding the institutionalization of the charter’s executive regulations. These were issued by the Ministry of Local Government in 2007 along with its amendments, followed-up by MIFTAH in 2018-2019.

This is part of MIFTAH’s project, “Institutionalizing the principles of comprehensive governance in local governments through implementing the gender charter”, aimed at enhancing the capacities of staff in local government directorates and local councils, especially in the planning, policy, follow-up and evaluation departments in using the manual on executive bylaws for enacting gender institutionalization in local councils in addition to the bylaw’s annex, which was prepared in coordination and cooperation with the Ministry of Local Government 2019.

The training program covered several topics, including: obstacles and challenges facing women within local councils, through a brief review of the gender charter; obligations of local councils regarding the charter and the executive and procedural bylaws; the role of the Ministry of Local Government in implementing these regulations; planning for follow-up processes to apply the charter in local council directorates through designing an executive plan. The training also included the participation of local council directorate departments, gender officials and municipality directors, which helped enrich the discussion around mechanisms for action and tools for guidance and monitoring between the Ministry of Local Government, local government directorates and local councils, thus promoting the implementation of the gender charter in local councils.

The participants stressed on the importance of employing the concepts of equity and equality in addition to participation and empowerment in the internal and external environment in local councils. This, they said, requires plans supported by gender-responsive budgets through integrating all sectors within local councils and organizing meetings between the local government directors and local councils to disseminate the gender charter after the current election process is completed. This allows specialized local government ministry departments to follow-up on performance indicators regarding the implementation of the gender charter. The participants also confirmed the need for follow-up to guarantee the practical application of training skills for the charter’s executive regulations acquired during the workshops.

MIFTAH continues to work on holding parallel trainings on the application of the gender charter in local councils by targeting their employees, especially those working in the planning, policy, follow-up and evaluation departments.

Ramallah – 1/11/2021 – MIFTAH completed its three-day youth camp on October 30, aimed at creating a space for dialogue between youth groups, national figures, women and youth leaders and experts in election affairs.

The camp included several activities and dialogue sessions to discuss various election-related topics such as: the map of active social forces in local elections; the position of civil society institutions on local elections and its proposed legal amendments; the role of youth leaders in elections; the 2005 Local Elections Law No. 10; the launching of a digital campaign to support youth participation in local elections; showcasing global democratic experiences; and a dialogue session entitled: “The role of political parties in supporting youth participation in local elections and the role of women in local government, the election process and procedures.”

Representatives of MIFTAH’s Political and Social Active Youth Network participated in the camp from all West Bank districts, including Jerusalem, as a means of promoting their involvement in local elections, raising their awareness on the enacted election laws and regulations in Palestine and discussing opportunities and challenges to the participation of youth and women. The camp constituted a social incubator for supporting youth efforts to compete within electoral lists running in local council elections.

The camp is part of MIFTAH’s interventions, geared towards the empowerment of youth leaders, to promote their political participation in the upcoming local elections, based on Cabinet decision No. (123/18) of 2021. The camp was carried out in cooperation with the Norwegian Representative Office and the Arab Palestinian Investment Company, APIC.

October 23, 2021 -- Palestinian civil society organizations met today at MIFTAH’s Ramallah offices to strategize against the recent Israeli government decision to label six Palestinian NGOs as “terrorist organizations” including Al Haq, Addameer, DCI, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, Bisan Center and Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees. The CSOs consider this move as part of Israel’s broader assault on Palestinian civil society and human rights organizations that work to expose Israeli occupation violations against the Palestinian people.

The institutions strongly believe there must be decisive measures taken by the Palestinian Authority in response to this decision stressing the illegitimacy of the claim that these organizations are “terrorist” and expressing their firm support for them. Palestinian Authority parties must also ensure that these six NGOs are protected by declaring that they are legitimate and licensed according to the Palestinian domestic laws.

The Palestine Monetary Authority must abide by the Palestinian Authority’s decision and circulate it to national banks in order not to take actions against these NGOs so that they can continue their work in defending human rights and exposing Israeli violations. This includes shouldering their responsibilities towards these esteemed Palestinian institutions by ensuring protection for their financial status and against any potential attacks, raids or fund cuts from international parties.

In this context, the CSOs call on international parties such as foreign ambassadors, parliamentarians, and consuls to secure a position of support for these organizations and reject Israel’s allegations and to respect the Palestinian domestic laws related to CSOs. The CSOs called for targeted action within the United States in particular to reject Israel’s narrative in this regard. This includes lobbying with members of Congress and lawmakers in a bid to protect the six organizations from fund cuts and pressure on local banks to freeze their accounts.

CSO’s reject Israel smear campaign aimed at the delegitimization and criminalization of Palestinian civil society. It is the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority, Palestinian society and the international community to stand up to this Israeli assault and protect the work of these prominent Palestinian organizations from attack.

Ramallah – 6/10/2021 – MIFTAH, in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance, recently released the 2021 Citizens’ Budget, a simplified, tabulated, document summarizing government policies and approaches included in the general budget.

The Citizens’ Budget highlights the most significant points in the general budget, which include its net revenue of ILS13.6 billion and overhead and net lending, amounting to ILS19.6 billion. Meanwhile, the funding gap, which is considered a deficit in covering the budget’s overhead, totaled ILS3.7 billion. It also shows the size of the public debt since the start of 2021, amounting to ILS7.5 billion in internal debts and ILS4.3 billion in external debts.

The general budget’s allocations are distributed across several sectors, including public services, whose share was 23.2%. Meanwhile, the security sector comprised 19.3%, followed by education at 17.4%, health at 13% and social protection at 12.7%. Economic affairs constituted 6.5% of the general budget and environmental protection only comprised 0.1%.

Through its publication of the Citizens’ Budget, MIFTAH seeks to promote transparency in fiscal policies and to allow citizens the opportunity to access and follow the preparation of general budgets and expenditures for the various programs, especially those affecting daily needs such as protection, education and health services. It also enables the official establishment to apply standards of international transparency.

What’s more, the Citizens’ Budget is considered an important accountability tool for citizens vis-a-vis their participation and representation in the preparation of the general budget and distribution of its allocations, according to the priorities and needs of citizens. Furthermore, promoting government openness in fiscal policies enhances the efficiency of managing public funds, to the benefit of Palestinian citizens and their steadfastness.

Citizen's Budget_ General Budget for the Fiscal Year 2021

Publication of Fiscal Justice

Ramallah – 28-9-2021 – Upon invitation by civil society organizations (CSOs), MIFTAH recently held an emergency session for several institutions and representatives of national parties and factions to discuss local elections following the September 6 Cabinet decision in this regard. The decision calls for holding local council elections in two stages: the first will begin on 11/12/2021 in 387 town and village councils, including 377 in the West Bank and the second phase, including (A) and (B) categorized local councils, to be held on March 26, 2022.

Civil society institutions voiced their rejection of dividing elections into two stages, maintaining there is no real technical reason for this. Rather, they said, the decision was based on unclear and unspecified phrases such as the ‘national interest” and the coronavirus pandemic. The representatives said they considered this decision to be for purely political motives.

In this context, the representatives said the first stage of local council elections in 387 town and village councils classified as [C] are mostly conducted by acclamation or appointment of committees by the Ministry of Local Government, which curtails the democratic right of voters to choose their representatives. They also said civil society demands were not taken into consideration, demands which were extensively discussed in past years over certain amendments such as: the lowering of the candidacy age, raising the women’s quota and cancelling the threshold, which would pave the way for increased participation of women and youth in the electoral process.

The participants confirmed that holding split elections was a form of political corruption, which CSOs reject. They also said this pointed to the executive authority’s misuse of the Local Elections Law and its amendments: according to Article 2 of the 2012 law by decree regarding amendments to the Local Council Elections Law, No. 19 of 2005, which is the amended law, No. 12 of 2005, stipulates the following: Article 4 of the original law shall be cancelled and replaced with the following text: 1. Elections shall be held in all local councils on one day every four years upon a decision by the Cabinet; 2. In the case local council elections are not held in accordance with Paragraph 1, the Cabinet may issue a decision to hold elections in stages as necessitated by the public interest. Hence, the decision on how elections will be held has been appropriated from the Central Elections Commission (CEC) as the independent party authorized by the Cabinet and places the application of the law and its interpretations in the hands of a non-independent political party.

Party representatives also briefed CSOs on their position regarding the elections, saying they considered them an important entryway to a comprehensive reform of the Palestinian political system on the one hand, a break in the current state of singular decision-making and an expansion of the frameworks for partnership of political and social forces in administrating public affairs, on the other. They maintained that factions cannot allow space for more singularity and possession of power by holding local elections, even if in stages.

The party representatives indicated they were open to options for holding elections in stages but reiterated their support for the position of CSOs in demanding a postponement of elections until they can be held in one day.

The meeting concluded with an agreement to continue coordination with the political parties and to continue pressuring the government to issue a decision to hold one-time local council elections in accordance with the law. They also called for avoiding the political challenges that hinder elections in the Gaza Strip or prevent CSOs from assuming their oversight role on these elections.

Ramallah – 30/8/2021 – MIFTAH recently published a number of 2020-2021 biannual reports on comparative actual spending for the following social sector ministries: Higher Education and Scientific Research, Social Development and Health.

This is part of MIFTAH’s efforts to promote the transparency and openness of service-oriented ministries to the public and to shed light on spending gaps and public fiscal policies in order to promote dialogue between experts in public affairs and in civil society institutions in addition to addressing the gaps in actual spending in the social sector.

Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research

According to the 2021 biannual actual spending report released by the Ministry of Finance, the actual spending of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research was ILS (82.04) million of a total of ILS (7,491.4) million actual biannual spending of the 2021 general budget, or 1.1% of overall expenditures.

Meanwhile, the remittance expenditures, which include university allocations, decreased to ILS (7.22) million in mid-2020 and to ILS (5.60) by mid-2021.

Ministry of Education

The actual spending of the Ministry of Education was ILS (1,559.4) million of a total of ILS (7,491.4) million in the actual biannual spending of the 2021 general budget, or 20.8% of overall expenditures.

As for the actual spending on salaries, wages and social contributions, “which represents the government’s contribution in the General Authority for Insurance and Pensions” the lion’s share of actual spending was by the Ministry of Education, with the two items comprising a combined 88.6% of the Ministry’s actual spending in the first half of 2021 and 88.2% in 2020. This is attributed to the number of people working in the Ministry of Education (teachers and administrators).

Meanwhile, spending on salaries and wages and, automatically, on social contributions increased, after grade and supervisory bonuses for employees were retroactively implemented at the beginning of 2021, as did spending on operational expenses in 2021 from 2020 after the ministry, directorates and schools returned to regular schedules after coronavirus restrictions were eased.

Ministry of Social Development

Actual spending on remittance expenses, which is the most important and biggest item in the Ministry of Social Development’s budget and which includes the cash payments for poor families, dropped in the first half of 2021 in comparison to the first half of 2020. It decreased from ILS (466.7) million in mid-2020 to ILS (461.4) million by mid-2021.

The cash assistance program still suffers from irregularity in payment installments. Only one installment was disbursed in the first half of 2021 and also in the first half of 2020 even though two payments were supposed to be disbursed. Moreover, the actual spending of remittance expenditures, which includes cash assistance in the first half of 2021, was less than in the first half of 2020.

Ministry of Health

The actual spending of the Ministry of Health was ILS (1,029.7) of a total of ILS (7,491.4) million actual biannual spending of the 2021 general budget, or 13.7% of overall expenditures. While, in the first half of 2020, it stood at 10.2%, which is a significant increase.

Meanwhile, the actual spending on salaries and wages was elevated in the first half of 2021 in comparison to the first half of 2020, which can be mainly attributed to the salary increase of medical staff in 2021.

The actual spending on goods and services hit the maximum increase by mid-2021 in comparison with mid-2020, with actual expenditures increasing from ILS (254.7) million in the first half of 2020 to ILS (544.9) million by mid-2021. This item includes: medical referrals, the purchase of medicines and vaccines and contract employees in addition to the MoH running costs.

On his part, MIFTAH project manager Hassan Mahareeq, maintained that the publication of the reports is aimed at disseminating principles of transparency and integrity and promoting openness for the public in following up on spending policies and the preparation of general budgets, along with applying the principle of oversight on government spending policies. He said such an approach had a shared value all parties seek to achieve towards real partnership and social integration that includes citizens’ participation and monitoring of public affairs, including fiscal policies. It is also aimed at promoting the principles of good governance represented by integrity, transparency and social accountability, he said.

Ramallah – 30/8/2021 – MIFTAH recently completed a series of town hall meetings, which began at the beginning of the year in various parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It held 111 meetings over the past months, targeting around 2,665 participants of which 21% were men. The meetings were aimed at raising public awareness on the importance of political participation and the promotion of democratic values through the electoral process. They also focused on the need for youth and women to be integrated in decision-making positions.

The topics addressed in the meetings revolved around current political issues, particularly local and general elections, in addition to public awareness on supporting an approach encouraging fair representation for women and youth, whether at the level of PLC elections and PLO institutions or in local council elections. The participants also discussed the repercussions of the absence of democratic mechanisms in Palestinian society, especially regarding civic peace.

The meetings produced several joint recommendations that focused on the importance of reviving democratic life for the Palestinians and running their institutions according to standards of good governance as a way of enabling citizens to exercise their monitoring role.

The recommendations also pointed to the importance of having vital and democratic institutions capable of absorbing the quick changes taking place, responding to the needs of society and representing the various social sectors in the Palestinian political system, especially women and youth, through promoting their political participation. They warned of the continued collapse of trust between citizens and state institutions given that they do not derive their legitimacy from them, which in turn has led to the isolation of these institutions, rendering them incapable of performing their duties. It also increases citizens’ overall sense of alienation from their political system, which creates even more political, social and economic problems.

Project manager Hassan Mahareeq, said MIFTAH utilizes these meetings as a mechanism for communicating with the public in the various districts. He said the dialogue between the various social sectors on issues pertaining to political participation was conducted within a safe atmosphere that freely broaches the issues of political participation. He also said it shed light on the most significant obstacles facing the resumption of democracy in Palestine and the participation of youth and women in national decision-making.

Amman – MIFTAH recently participated in a regional workshop in Amman, Jordan to launch the Field Implementation of the Call-to-Action Group project for the Middle East and North Africa region. The workshop was organized by CARE International and the Arab Women’s Organization in Jordan, in cooperation with MIFTAH, with the participation of a consortium of 21 women’s rights and women-led organizations (WLO) and other civil society organizations.

The objective of the project is to deal with gender-based violence in emergencies and humanitarian cases in conflict-afflicted areas through improving global institutionalization and accountability and to formulate a plan based on the mutual priorities and needs of the consortium institutions.

The project also aims to promote partnerships between Palestinian WLOs in order to establish groups focused on protection against GBV and the outcomes of the workshop. The event also provided an opportunity for Palestinian women activists who live in different locations in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jerusalem and inside the Green Line to meet, thus overcoming barriers and borders.

This workshop is one of the project’s main activities for building partnerships/networks between WLOs in Palestine, to promote the establishment of a field group for a call to action for protection from Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies in the MENA region.

Ramallah – 28/7/2021 -- MIFTAH recently organized a final event in the Gaza Strip for the “Youth as human rights defenders” project. A photo exhibit was held on Israeli violations and the role of Palestinian youth in documenting and tackling them and included a presentation of the defenders’ achievements during the period of the project.

In her opening speech, Dr. Tahreer Araj said the event focused on monitoring and documenting the occupation’s violations in access-restricted areas in the northern and southern Strip, namely violations against the rights of farmers and fishermen. She explained that in the second and third year of the project, MIFTAH produced two separate analytical reports on these violations and that the results of the second report were presented to local and international rights institutions. Specialized reports were then discussed with the relevant parties on the occupation’s policies pertaining to violations in the three areas, in addition to producing factsheets and policy papers on these violations.

Araj capped off her address by saying, “The significance of this project is that within the Palestinian context, it constitutes an important tool for monitoring and documenting Israeli violations, which could be used towards strengthening the efforts of civil society and rights institutions in exposing Israeli measures and holding the occupation responsible for its crimes and violations against the Palestinian people in international forums.”

This was followed by a presentation of the outcomes of the second annual report by attorney, Dr. Mahmoud Abu Sway. The report juxtaposed Israel’s violations with international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international criminal law, pointing out that these violations are only a small part of the ongoing violations against the Palestinians. The report covered the period between 2020 through mid-2021 and addressed basic rights such as education, health, the right to movement, freedom of worship, access to religious sites and the right to live in Jerusalem and Hebron, in addition to Israeli violations against farmers’ and fishermen’s rights in the Gaza Strip.

In his presentation of the report’s recommendations, Abu Sway called for the internationalization of attacks on the rights of farmers and fishermen, for increasing support for the Gaza Strip, lifting the blockade, ending the internal division and examining the possible legal mechanisms for holding Israel accountable.

This was followed by the presentation of a factsheet on violations against fishermen by youth defender Mohammed Abu Samra and a short film prepared by the host organization in the northern Gaza Strip. Another factsheet was presented on violations against farmers by youth defender Amani Abu Teir, also followed by a short film by the host organization in the southern Gaza Strip.

MIFTAH coordinator in the Gaza Strip, Shadia Al Ghoul summarized the most prominent challenges and obstacles faced by the defenders during their documentation and monitoring of violations in the targeted areas, saying the most dangerous part was when the defenders were shot at either directly or indirectly by Israeli occupation forces. She also noted land leveling as another challenge, the exposure of farmers to insecticides and teargas and the difficulties in reaching access-restricted areas. Al Ghoul said the defenders had to resort to alternative means of travel and movement since it was difficult to use ordinary modes of transportation. She also said the fishermen and farmers were unaware of their legal rights whereby many were afraid to give their testimonies or names out of fear they could be subject to punitive measures by occupation authorities such as being barred from crossing the Beit Hanoun [Erez] crossing for treatment or other purposes.

MIFTAH project coordinator, Waad Qannam, then discussed the results of the project, saying: “This is the culmination of three and a half years of efforts by Palestinian youth human rights defenders in these areas, including a virtual tour of these regions.” He commended the role of youth defenders in Jerusalem, the old city of Hebron and in the Gaza Strip, saying they worked tirelessly to document and monitor Israeli violations and convey the message of the Palestinian people to the world in spite of all the obstacles.