Ramallah – 19/5/2022 – MIFTAH held a hearing session this week on the Ministry of Social Development’s allocations for its social protection programs, in the Gaza Strip in particular. The session is part of MIFTAH’s interventions within its program “Working together as Agents for change: Towards the protection and promotion of Women’s human rights”, carried out in partnership with the Women’s Center for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC) and funded by the EU. The objective of the program is to push towards enhancing social protection services and facilitating the access of marginalized social sectors to these services, women subjected to violence, in particular through increasing government allowances for these services.

Representatives from the ministries of Social Development (MoSD) and Finance attended the meeting, along with CSOs and the Civil Society Team for Enhancing Public Budget Transparency in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Data on the budgets allocated for social protection programs was presented, which concluded that there has been a decrease in spending on these protection programs, reflected in allocated budgets and actual expenditures since 2017.

According to the data, the share for the empowerment and poverty reduction (cash assistance) program, was 92% of the overall MoSD budget in 2021. Meanwhile, the share for the protection of marginalized and poor sectors program stood at 6% .The data indicated that women comprised 52% of the overall beneficiaries from the empowerment and poverty reduction program and that the Gaza Strip’s share of allocations was 76% as opposed to 24% for the West Bank.

It should be noted that cash assistance dropped from four installments in 2016 and 2017 to one installment in 2021, which shows the extent of budget cuts for this program and its impact on poverty rates in Palestinian society.

In spite of the importance of protection programs for poor sectors, insomuch as they are the core of the MoSD’s work, financial allocations and budgets allotted to them are very limited. In 2021, less than ILS50 million, or 5% of the Ministry’s budget, were earmarked for these programs. Moreover, between 2019 to 2021, gaps have appeared and widened in terms of allocated budgets in comparison with the actual expenditures for providing and purchasing services for these categories.

The session included a presentation of the financial statements of direct expenditures for poverty reduction and aid in the Gaza Strip. The MoSD in Gaza presented an oral report on the sums, beneficiaries, forms of aid and its distribution among the various social sectors in the Strip. It noted that these services were part of efforts by individuals in the Ministry, not within the framework of the general budget, but through support from external funding parties and implemented by local institutions.

The participant CSOs agreed to produce a position paper with a demand for clear standards of transparency in financial data pertaining to approved allocations and actual expenditures from official executive parties. Other demands include: an increase in spending allocations for protection services, to converge, at a minimum, with the needs of violence and poverty-prone women in particular; the development of fiscal policies more responsive to poor and marginalized social categories; unifying expenditures in the social protection sector within the MoSD’s program budgets; coordinating their interventions with targeted sectors; translating the reform of protection policies at the Ministry into budgets to complete the shift from relief to empowerment; stressing on the importance of including social protection policies in the multiple dimensions pertaining to food security and protection from violence, suitable housing and other basic rights, which oblige the government to fulfill its duties towards poor and marginalized social sectors.

Ramallah – On May 15, MIFTAH and the Ministry of Labor signed on a cooperation and understanding agreement, meant to mainstream the principles of transparency and integrity and to promote an openness with the public in the preparation of general budgets. It was also aimed at promoting the principle of monitoring over government spending policies, on the premise that this approach has mutual value for both parties, with the goal of creating true partnership and social integration including the participation and monitoring by citizens over public affairs, including fiscal policies. In addition, it promotes principles of good governance including integrity, transparency and social accountability.

The agreement was signed by MIFTAH Executive Director, Dr. Tahreer Araj and Assistant Undersecretary for Labor Sector Affairs, Ali Sawi, on behalf of the Minister of Labor.

Araj stressed on integrality in working with the public sector in order to shed light on the gaps in general budgets from a gender and social justice perspective. The objective of this, she maintained, was to develop fiscal policies in the various budgets through focusing on government expenditures for the Labor Ministry and bias towards marginalized sectors.

Araj said she hoped the two parties would continue working together and further consider the Labor Law from a gender and social justice perspective to render it more equitable for laborers and labor in Palestine.

Meanwhile, Sawi stated that this agreement was part of the Ministry of Labor’s interest in promoting the principles of partnership and cooperation with Palestinian civil society institutions, to ultimately create partnerships between the two parties that would guarantee the people’s participation in and monitoring of public affairs, including fiscal policies. This is in addition to promoting the principles of good governance represented in integrity, transparency and social accountability, he said, stressing on the importance of training budget teams at the Ministry of Labor and promoting a participatory approach in the work environment.

Throughout the meeting, the participants discussed the importance of participating in the development of public policies, especially given that the Ministry of Labor plays a key role in monitoring and implementing operational policies. They also stressed on the importance of determining priorities in a bid to accelerate the response to citizens’ needs. Furthermore, the meeting shed light on the challenges the Labor Ministry faces in terms of allocating budgets to the multiple programs it oversees.

Ramallah – MIFTAH recently held a session to discuss the development of a digitized Citizens’ Budget in 2022. The session was attended by planning and budgetary teams and IT departments in several ministries in addition to members of the Civil Society Team for Enhancing Public Budget Transparency. Ultimately, this would increase citizens’ access to fiscal data and figures pertaining to ministry budgets, especially regarding service programs directly impacting citizens.

In the first quarter of 2022, MIFTAH worked with budgetary teams in the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Labor to develop a digitized trial version of their Citizens’ Budget, the objective of which is to sustain the development of international standards of transparency and to promote openness among ministries with the public.

The session included a breakdown of the approved 2022 General Budget in terms of revenues, expenditures, deficit, general debt, arrears and social sector allocations. Focus was especially placed on the Ministry of Social Development and Ministry of Labor’s budgets and the challenges hindering the general budget in achieving its 2022 goals. It also addressed the financial obligations of decision-making centers in the social sector and the financial gaps that continue to increase and impact services. In addition, the participants discussed proposed alternatives for alleviating the government’s financial crisis.

The trial versions of both ministries’ digitized Citizens’ Budget were then presented as part of efforts to keep abreast with global experiments in this regard and contribute to cooperation among various decision-making centers, CSOs and research centers. In turn, this could promote involvement in a monitoring role over public spending, cooperation on bridging financial gaps in public expenditures and determining priorities within national efforts to alleviate the impact of the financial crisis.

Furthermore, digitizing citizens’ budgets will allow decision-making centers to remain up-to-date with the rapid changes in citizens’ needs, based on accurate fiscal information and numbers. It will also foster cooperation between the relevant parties in developing policies responsive to the needs of the various communities, especially marginalized sectors.

The session, held in cooperation with UNDP, falls in line with MIFTAH’s approaches and efforts to impact public policies towards the protection of citizens’ rights and guaranteeing social justice and equality in the development of public policies, in addition to promoting good governance in Palestine.

Ramallah – 31/3/2022 – MIFTAH recently completed workshops in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, on a guidebook about UN mechanisms pertaining to the Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS). The workshops included member institutions of the Women’s Coalition for Implementing UNSCR1325, grassroots organizations and rights and community activists in the West Bank and Gaza. MIFTAH’s objective for developing the guidebook is to support and enable Palestinian women and women’s and rights organizations to utilize UN mechanisms as part of their efforts in international advocacy and visibility on global platforms in sharing information on the status of Palestinian women under Israeli military occupation. The workshops are part of efforts to enact UNSCR1325, subsequent resolutions and General Recommendations 30, 32 and 35 of the CEDAW follow-up committee.

The trainings revolved around the focal points of the guidebook in the Palestinian context, international humanitarian law and relevant international agreements. They also discussed the structure of the UN and explained about the Security Council, General Assembly and Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). In addition, they briefed participants on contractual and non-contractual mechanisms and the Human Rights Council.

The trainings also explained how the guidebook could help in holding the occupation accountable through showcasing the main work and roles of UN bodies, using specific resolutions pertaining to Palestine as examples. They pointed to practical instructions on how to access information and submit complaints and statements to various UN bodies and mechanisms. These include individual cases, patterns of violations or collective violations. What’s more, Palestinian women in exile can make use of the manual, given that more knowledge on how UN bodies operate will help them apply this knowledge to their reality. Furthermore, parts of the guidebook regarding the protection of women and girls from political violence could be used.

The trainings emphasized on the importance of increasing knowledge of WPS-related UN mechanisms and on conducting a serious discussion on the different roles at the individual and institutional level in order to organize timely calls and advocacy processes on international platforms.

Najwa Sandouka-Yaghi, officer at MIFTAH’s empowerment and training unit, said this intervention was part of MIFTAH’s objectives within its Democracy and Good Governance Program. She explained that this guidebook was the first of its kind and within MIFTAH’s interest in enacting the WPS agenda, with support from the Women’s Coalition for the Implementation of UNSCR1325 in Palestine in implementing the second generation of its 2021-2024 lobbying and advocacy plan. Sandouka-Yaghi continued that it also enabled grassroots organizations and human rights activists to hold Israel accountable on international platforms for its human rights transgressions by presenting reports and information within a clear strategy and a coherent and organized process, which requires preparation, prior coordination and cooperation with relevant institutions.

Ramallah – 15/3/2022 – MIFTAH recently held two dialogue sessions on the views of electoral lists regarding the second round of local council elections, slated for March 26. The meetings were attended by representatives of electoral lists from various West Bank districts, in a bid to create interactive spaces within the voter public through highlighting the topics covered by their platforms pertaining to youth and women.

The two sessions included a discussion of several points, most importantly, how the different electoral platforms address women and youth issues, and the solutions posed by these platforms for the challenges facing marginalized sectors. The discussions also addressed the role of candidates in highlighting the role of local councils in promoting concepts of citizenship and civil and democratic values as a way of rising above tribal affiliations.

Participant presentations revolved around the importance of the role of women and youth in local elections, pointing to their most significant challenges. The absence of youth was at the top of the list, a challenge electoral blocs are seeking to remedy. They are trying to increase the political participation of youth by raising awareness over the importance of these elections, investment in democratic spaces and promoting and integrating social sectors in planning and accountability committees to overcome the present gap between the public and local councils.

The participants also confirmed the need to expand the concept of citizenship, which focuses on rights and duties, in order to achieve equal and just access to services. In addition, they stressed on the role of youth and women in local government towards promoting the concepts of citizenship over and above narrow affiliations. The participants maintained that the consolidation of citizenship practices would help candidates create partnership spaces through the creation of coalitions capable of running local councils, without resorting to polarization at the expense of citizen services.

The candidates pointed to the many challenges and priorities facing municipalities, saying their electoral platforms are focused on the importance of investing in the role of youth and women in handling the different challenges and crises. They maintained that youth participation in local elections stood at 59%, which is an indication of the desire for real change in the handling of current crises pertaining to the administration of local councils and the involvement of social sectors in planning and building platforms. Ultimately, they said, the objective is to revive the oversight role of citizens over local councils in order to develop services and programs and protect them from corruption.

Hassan Mahareeq, officer within MIFTAH’s policy unit, said these dialogue sessions were part of the organization’s discussions on electoral platforms, how they deal with women and youth issues and shed light on the various challenges. This is in addition to the platforms’ approaches in creating participatory and integrative spaces for various social sectors, especially women and youth and their push for local policies capable of responding to the needs of the various social sectors. Additionally, he maintained, the dialogue sessions aimed to revive the role of local councils in promoting civil, democratic and participatory values in the development of these policies.

Ramallah – 3/5/2022 – MIFTAH recently capped off several training sessions aimed at empowering women and youth candidates for local council elections to increase their presence and participation in election campaigns.

The training sessions were held in several West Bank districts and for groups of women and youth in the Gaza Strip, even though the current round of local elections does not include Gaza. The goal of their inclusion was to equip them with the necessary information and tools to prepare them for the election process should they be held in the Gaza Strip.

Hanan Said, officer within MIFTAH’s empowerment and capacity-building unit, said the trainings are part of MIFTAH’s strategic interventions in promoting democratic values among women and youth activists and developing their leadership skills and capabilities. This, she maintained, was aimed at increasing their involvement in the election process and ultimately reaching decision-making positions in local councils by equipping them with ways to impact public policies and achieve more visibility and representation.

The training included an intensive program to provide necessary information on election laws and regulations for the electoral process, focusing on the tools and mechanisms needed to impact electoral programs and promote the presence of women and youth candidates in campaigns. They also gave participants the necessary skills for connecting with voters in local communities.

Impressions of women and youth candidates

In their assessment of the training and benefits gained, Wafa’ Karaki, a candidate running in the Hebron municipal elections, said the training gave her new and helpful information and skills for her campaign, regarding the candidacy process, the distribution and number of seats and how to ensure political participation. “I had the opportunity to meet and interact with several candidates from competing lists,” Karaki said “I was very interested to learn others’ opinions, especially the men, and to discuss the importance of women’s real and active participation where they are not just numbers.”

Samah Fatayer, another participant and candidate in the Jericho municipal elections, said this was her first time running in elections. “I became very interested in the election process and how to manage campaigns; the training added to my knowledge on certain concepts such as democracy, fact-finding, information-gathering and active participation in closed meetings. It also helped me to express my opinions and suggestions and gave me tools I did not have before”.

Meanwhile, Masa Ayyad, a candidate running in the Nablus local council elections, said the training was a ‘quantum leap” for her. “I never had enough information about elections or how to run a campaign, but this training provided me with knowledge and expertise and allowed me to meet other candidates from different cities. It also gave me the opportunity to learn about MIFTAH and the support it offers to women and youth.” Ayyad continued, “It is impossible for anyone to participate in these trainings without them learning so much more than before.”

Trainor Wisal Shalaldeh stressed on importance of the trainings’ focal points, saying they were especially significant since the targeted sector did not have enough information about the different stages of the process. “The impact on the participants was very clear once the training was finished; they showed the ability to manage election campaigns and formulate and implement their own programs.”

MIFTAH continues to support women and youth running in any future elections, in order to broaden their chances of involvement in the election process and reach decision-making positions fully prepared and qualified. Ultimately, the goal is to create desired changes that promote and lay the ground for laws, legislation and policies based on civic values and the principles of good governance.

Ramallah – 9/3/22 – MIFTAH recently capped off three days of training on human rights conventions, including The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), as references, for Palestinian security services. The training was based on a MIFTAH manual aimed at elevating the performance of the Palestinian security sector and developing policies and measures for its work to respond to the reality of gender discrimination against Palestinian women and girls. The training targeted military, civilian and academic members of Al Istiqlal University, the Palestinian Academy for Security Sciences.

The training program included a presentation of gender-related concepts and their significance within the Palestinian context, as an analytical tool for the work of security services and at the level of organizational structures in military training academies, to guarantee equality, equity and non-discrimination based on sex, race or political affiliation. It also included a presentation on the development of women’s rights within international conventions, particularly CEDAW and UNSCR1325 and the extent to which they are applicable to the case of Palestinian women.

The three-day training constituted an interactive space to showcase the best practices for security services in dealing with survivors of domestic violence and who are at odds with the law, in addition to women working in the security sector and in public spaces. The discussion revolved around actual practices and the legal loopholes identified by the CEDAW committee and included in the State of Palestine’s comments. They also noted the importance of applying pressure on decision-makers to do everything necessary to guarantee that work proceeds according to the principle of the rule of law and the protection of women’s rights within the system of enacted laws, including the Penal Code and the Personal Status Law. In addition, the participants said it was necessary to expedite the ratification of the Family Protection Law.

Participant responses

Al Istiqlal University Vice President of Administrative and Financial Affairs, Dr. Raja Sweidan, said she hoped MIFTAH would continue to offer training in the future, to get an even closer look at CEDAW and Resolution 1325 and arrive at practical applications on how to integrate gender in university departments and the security academy. She also encouraged further discussion over observations on the manual in order to amend and develop it, in addition to presenting more cases from Al Istiqlal University and ways to develop them.

As to how CEDAW could be implemented within security and military academy policies, Dr. Sweidan said this could be achieved primarily through training. “We need training and capacity building of teams from security training academies on the specifics of CEDAW to coincide with Palestinian culture and society and to arrive at a deeper understanding of this convention through introduction to its provisions and articles. After the training, gender-sensitive systems and measures must be created and budgets earmarked for capacity-building. This is in addition to trainers introducing teams to awareness programs and then formulating clear policies at the university to commit to the integration of gender issues.”

In his assessment of the training and ways to implement CEDAW and UNSCR1325 in military training in particular and within the work of security services in general, Imad Younis, Vice President of Military Training at Al Istiqlal University said, “This training was a necessity so that we can better explore the specifics of CEDAW and Resolution 1325. Truth is, the stereotypes surrounding this Convention in particular, misconstrued the idea of liberties granted to women. However, the training clarified some concepts and terms.”

Younis said he believed it was necessary to continue this training with different teams within the security services and employees of Al Istiqlal University. “This is because we need answers to a lot of questions pertaining to UNSCR1325. We support this resolution because it advances our cause in international arenas and sheds light on violations against women, whether from the occupation or by society.”

In his assessment of the training and manual prepared by MIFTAH, Dr. Osama Darraj stated, “Everyone agreed the training was beneficial for us all. It gave us the opportunity to get a closer look at Resolution 1325 and CEDAW. We will not hesitate in the future to take part in similar trainings.”

Darraj also recommended that they needed tools to carry out the training so “we trainees can train our students on what we learned and be able to pass on this experience to them.”

In regards to using CEDAW and Resolution 1325 as a reference for security services in general and in Al Istiqlal University in particular, Dr. Kifah Manasra stressed on the importance of convincing decision-makers within the security establishment and at the university on this. “We do not need to create special units within the security establishment and the university to implement this convention, but rather to internalize and integrate CEDAW into the work of all units and bodies within these institutions so they are more gender-sensitive. This can be accomplished through training all members, which should be a condition for enrollment. This way, these institutions will become resistant to discrimination and capable of creating a safe environment pertaining to violence-related issues, in general. We need to establish assessment, follow-up and monitoring units for all violations because this would allow for the creation of shared concepts at the university so it has a unified identity in front of the students. It would also help to eliminate personal or cultural conjecturing by individual members of the university.

Recommendations

The following recommendations were made during the workshop:

1. The need to continue communications with the security establishment and to build a partnership based on a premise of equality in rights and duties.
2. Constructing a clear understanding and policy for renouncing discrimination, both in theory and in practice.
3. Fostering a better understanding of the role of the security establishment in respecting and implementing the law, irrespective of the individual approaches or viewpoints of its members
4. Working to cultivate a culture of human rights among the university teams, students and security forces in their everyday practices.
5. Creating structures based on justice and participation
6. Building on the importance of women’s active and effective participation within security institutions and at all decision-making levels

Officer in MIFTAH’s empowerment and training unit, Najwa Yaghi-Sanduka, said the training was conducted by MIFTAH in cooperation and coordination with the Dutch-based War Child Organization. She said it was part of MIFTAH’s efforts to enhance knowledge and understanding among security services on CEDAW and UN resolutions related to the Women, Peace and Security agenda. The objective, she maintained, is to support official and security institutions in abiding by their commitments towards human rights conventions signed by the State of Palestine and reviving action on related UN resolutions. Yaghi-Sanduka continued that the training posed an opportunity to encourage women’s participation and representation within the protection and security sector in Palestine, including CEDAW, General Recommendations 35, 32 and 30 and UNSCR1325.

Ramallah – 2/3/2022 – MIFTAH recently held a session to discuss the discriminatory practices against women during the first phase of local elections and the percentage of youth and women’s representation in electoral lists. The meeting was aimed at raising awareness of these practices and measures so they could be avoided during the second phase of local elections, slated for March 26.

The meeting was attended by several representatives of political parties and civil society organizations, who discussed the challenges women and youth face during local elections. A factsheet prepared by MIFTAH on the topic was presented, which showed the gaps in women’s visibility and presence in election campaigns during the first phase. The paper displayed how some locations dismissed the presence of women in election campaigns, blocking candidates’ pictures on posters and replacing them with symbols. The factsheet also noted there were nine lists headed by women as opposed to eight in the second phase. Women who won seats in the first phase of elections constituted 20.5% of the vote, which does not exceed the quota determined in the Local Elections Law or the Local Authorities Law.

The meeting also discussed youth representation during the first phase of elections, whereby the age group of 25-35 constituted 21.7%, followed by the 36-45 age bracket, at 27.4%, compared to the second phase in which the 25-30 age bracket stood at 34% of the electoral lists, followed by 30% for the 31-35 age bracket. These percentages are a positive indicator of youth involvement in the candidacy process for the upcoming local elections.

The participants’ presentations included topics such as raising the awareness of electoral lists to the importance of women’s visibility in election campaigns and to avoid adopting discriminatory practices, which only increase the challenges women face. They attributed the reasons for this discrimination to a cultural environment that reinforces and encourages absenting women from partaking in public affairs. Blocking their photographs is one manifestation of this environment.

At the end of the meeting, representatives of parties and CSO’s stressed on the need to combat discriminatory practices against women in local elections through binding legal texts. This, they maintained, requires a dialogue on the amendment of the Local Elections Law No. 10 of 2005 and its amendments, especially in regards to lowering the candidacy age, increasing the women’s quota and other issues related to practices that discriminate against women, including blocking their photos. They said this called for a review of the civil premise of the law, based on the values of equal opportunities for both sexes.

The participants also agreed to send a statement to the electoral lists, underscoring the need to abide by electoral norms and not adopt any practices that discriminate against women. They called for opening opportunities to women to be more involved in their communities’ issues and to represent the sectors they defend. The participants stressed on the need for the media to combat any form of discrimination against women in the electoral process and to raise public awareness to the importance of women’s political participation in this process.

Ramallah – 16/2/2022 – Last week, MIFTAH, in cooperation with the Tubas Charitable Center and “Al Najda” Center in Tulkarm, capped off training on monitoring and documenting Israeli human rights violations, with a focus on the oppressive and violent measures against Palestinian women. The training was attended by 29 participants from four northern districts: Jenin, Qalqilya, Tubas and Tulkarm.

This program is part of MIFTAH’s strategic approaches to support and empower women and youth leaders to be more involved in public affairs, including issues associated to women’s political participation and gender-based violence. The training was part of an EU-funded project “Working together as Agents for Change: Towards the Protection and Promotion of Women’s Human Rights”, which MIFTAH implements in partnership with the Women’s Center for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC).

The project sheds light on the challenges faced by women and girls in accessing services and on violence against them, including daily violations by the Israeli occupation, especially in marginalized areas in the Jenin, Tulkarm, Qalqilya and Tubas districts.

In this context, MIFTAH held a series of training workshops on the documentation of international humanitarian law violations and the use of tools it developed. The trainings targeting employees and volunteer members of local coalitions for the implementation of UNSCR1325 in the targeted districts, to update their skills and knowledge on documenting these violations, which could be used as evidence in international advocacy.

Monitoring and documentation trainer, stressed on the need to integrate monitoring and documentation within human rights work and based on international standards, given the importance of providing evidence of the violation and identifying the perpetrator and circumstance in which the violation occurred. She continued that it was also imperative to hear the story from the victims themselves through trained individuals, with a focus on objectivity, accuracy and reliability in conveying information. She said the tools developed by MIFTAH were designed to promote MIFTAH’s vision and achieve the project’s objectives of exposing the occupation authority’s measures and holding it accountable.

MIFTAH field consultant in the Tulkarm district, Nada Biddu, stressed on the importance of the training for youth, which she said was aimed at creating a generation aware of the issues related to Israeli violations against the Palestinian people. She added that the trainings build youth capacities in the field of human rights and involvement in policy dialogue through monitoring violations, honing their skills in documenting testimonies and addressing international human rights institutions in order to hold Israeli soldiers and settlers accountable.

Biddu pointed out that one of most important recommendations was to continue holding similar training workshops in the field of monitoring and documentation of Israeli human rights violations and to follow up with the relevant international parties.

On her part, women’s activist in the Tubas district, Jiana Kharraz, said the training was a golden opportunity for the participants to see the Jordan Valley and the hard life people live and to therefore support them in the face of settler attacks and violations. “We were left with major impressions and reflections from the training and the field visits to these areas,” she explained. “We were struck by what we saw and we realized that documenting violations in this unsafe environment is no easy task.”

Najat Abu Rmeileh, MIFTAH’s field consultant in the Jericho and Jordan Valley region, explained that training for young women activists in the Tubas region included filling out surveys to document the daily Israeli violations against women. She also said the Tubas region was targeted because of its daily and direct contact with the occupation, especially in the villages of Aqaba, Tayaseer, Maleh, Ras Al Ahmar and Atouf, and in the northern Jordan Valley: Kardala, Bardala, Ein Beida and Hadidiya. She said there was an urgent need to document and monitor Israeli violations by the army and settlers against Palestinian women in this region. A second goal, she maintained, was for women activists to participate in highlighting the pressing issues pertaining to Palestinian women under Israeli occupation, including military oppression, discrimination and settler violence.

It should be noted that MIFTAH works in parallel within the project “Working together as Agents for Change: Towards the Protection and Promotion of Women’s Human Rights” to also promote the capacities of women and youth in raising social awareness on their political participation, especially in local elections, by holding awareness meetings in the four northern districts of Tubas, Tulkarm, Jenin and Qalqilya.

Ramallah – MIFTAH, in partnership with Women Media and Development Center (TAM) held a meeting on February 7 in Bethlehem as part of the project “We Rise”. The meeting discussed the gaps in the Local Elections Law and the extent of women’s visibility in election campaigns, based on a factsheet prepared by MIFTAH. Its results indicated that women candidates’ photos only appeared in approximately 28% of elections lists and campaigns. The highest percentage was in the Bethlehem district, at 60%, followed by Tulkarm at 56%. Meanwhile, some election lists in certain districts scored 0.0% visibility for women, or a complete absence of women’s pictures in election campaigns.

The meeting, chaired by MIFTAH field consultant Yolla Al Atrash and attended by several representatives of electoral lists and members of local institutions and women’s centers, discussed the challenges surrounding women’s participation in the political process. It stressed on the need to shed light on women’s social and political role, which is still largely associated with stereotypes and the predominant religious, social and cultural norms. This led to candidates and supporters of electoral lists absenting women’s photos and highlighting their male counterparts instead, thus allowing for traditional culture to dominate, which rejects the visibility of women and only seeks to meet the requirements of the Local Elections Law.

One candidate from a Bethlehem-area list, Ghada Wahsh said, “I was surprised that the map of Palestine was on every campaign flyer in place of my photo. I called the list’s official and asked him why my picture had been replaced by the map and this was his reply: ‘It is for your own good from the social aspect; this will prevent any problems for you in the future.’ I strongly opposed this argument and said I would withdraw my candidacy if my picture is not included. I became a candidate so I could raise up the voices of women and boost their self-confidence. I want women to know their rights. I exist and I am my own person, not a nobody. So I forced their hand and made them put my picture on the list and I won in the elections.”

Amal Salameh, member of the Dar Salah village council added, “Even though decision-making positions are male-dominated, I still make my opinions very clear so I can prove that women are productive and capable of change. I want to show that our presence here is not just a formality, merely to fill seats.”

The participants agreed on a number of recommendations, including: safeguarding the right of citizens to choose their representatives, question them and hold them accountable since elections are a fundamental part of any democratic system and directly linked to sustainable development.

This activity is part of an advocacy and national awareness campaign led by MIFTAH and TAM to demand higher and just representation for youth and women in the democratic process, given the importance of their role in building a democratic Palestinian society where all sectors enjoy freedom and human rights.

This meeting is one of the events implemented by both institutions, which will be followed by several advocacy and awareness activities throughout February and until mid-March, 2022. Their objective is to achieve a higher level of participation for youth and women, not only as candidates in electoral lists, but also as independent monitors of the entire process, to ensure its adherence to standards of transparency and credibility.