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.

Ramallah – 26/7/2021 – MIFTAH recently capped off six days of training for 35 beneficiaries of economic projects granted in 2021 as part of its project “Development of local communities through small income-generating projects”, supported and funded by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development. The training is part of MIFTAH’s efforts to economically empower women and raise their status in their communities.

One beneficiary, Arij Tawil, who is part of a translation and language services project along with two other colleagues from Kufr Aqab and Rawabi, said this: “We benefited a lot from this training in terms of how to organize the objectives of our project and set future plans and roles for each one of us. We also learned about where our project falls in the market, its sustainability and our ability to maintain contact in the future with the trainer if needed.”

Jane Qreitem, a business development coach who oversaw MIFTAH’s training, said: “The training focused on empowering the women in project management from administrative, marketing, production and financial aspects. The other focal points were communication, leadership and collective leadership, time management, setting priorities, team building and setting foundations for the women’s daily tasks.”

She continued, “The importance of the training was that it set the bases for managing the beneficiaries’ projects and the foundations for organizing their work. They were able to organize ideas for their projects, identify what makes them unique, what they produced and who their target sectors are. This way, the women have a better understanding of how to market their projects and how to manage their financial affairs. The training also helped the women in charge of the projects to manage them more professionally, therefore guaranteeing their sustainability and development.”

Qreitem concluded: “MIFTAH gave me the opportunity to become acquainted with and learn from 35 women from the Jerusalem district during the establishment stage of 10 projects. I am confident that these women will succeed, because during the training, they inspired each other and inspired me as well. I saw how determined they were to learn and share their knowledge.”

MIFTAH project coordinator Hanan Said, pointed out that the overall objective of the project is to promote the steadfastness of women on their land in several Jerusalem- area villages. She also said it contributed to national efforts to combat poverty and unemployment among women and their families in marginalized areas and to raise women’s capacities, especially young women and graduates who have not had the opportunity to work. This, she maintained, boosts their social and cultural roles in their communities.

Ramallah – 17/7/2021 – MIFTAH recently capped off four training workshops on media and digital campaigns that targeted a number of young activists and leaders in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The objective of the workshops was to build the participants’ capacities in managing digital campaigns and disseminating a civil discourse based on the values of good governance and democracy, in addition to promoting a culture of rights and freedoms within social media content.
The training focused on the need for digital platforms to push for the promotion of the political participation of youth. It also stressed on the need for youth to unify their efforts in pressuring decision-makers to ensure the fair representation of this sector in the Palestinian political system. Another objective of the workshop was the dissemination of content based on a culture of human rights, which in turn will promote the protection of freedoms and Palestinian citizens’ rights in addition to combatting the discourse of hatred and polarization.
Participant Malak Nasser Ayede, from Jericho, said the training gave her skills on how to use social media in a more strategic way. This became apparent from her posts, which she says are now more to the point and attractive to the reader. “I hope MIFTAH offers more training and expands to other regions so that more people can benefit from them,” she said.
Sally Nakhla, from Ramallah, also said she greatly benefited from the training, especially since she works in the field of campaign management for youth issues, including their political participation.
MIFTAH coordinator in the Gaza Strip, Shadia Al Ghoul, explained that the training workshop in Gaza targeted 20 activists with the goal of providing the participants with management skills for lobbying and advocacy campaigns in the media, especially through digital media outlets. It also aimed to develop their skills in providing a civil media discourse based on the promotion of democratic values and foundations, in addition to strengthening skills in planning digital campaigns. Al Ghoul also said it provided the participants with skills for preparing digital media content that advocates for the political participation of youth.
Trainer Fadi Al Asa said the training could help the participants achieve strong, national Palestinian media advocacy campaigns, stressing however, the need for a methodology in developing their knowledge in areas that would serve their causes and issues in the future.
“We trainers need more time to train and help them gain the necessary skills, while the trainees also need more time to implement this acquired knowledge and learn from their mistakes so they don’t face any problems in the future. Hopefully they will achieve their intended outcome of creating digital media campaigns that they can later implement on the ground. What’s more, the trainees could eventually become trainers with some additional preparation, thereby broadening the circle so it is not only limited to small groups but becomes more community-based. We need a more comprehensive endeavor not limited to only certain topics, given there are always major technological developments pertaining to social media.”
Meanwhile, MIFTAH project manager, Hassan Mahareeq, said the training workshop was part of MIFTAH’s interventions within its objective of supporting and empowering young leaders and creating an atmosphere of dialogue between Palestinian youth to promote political participation, a unifying national identity and the adoption of democratic values.
This project is carried out by MIFTAH in partnership with the Austrian Representative Office.
Please find below a link to the pictures from the Gaza Strip workshop:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ln7S_ay00IrX56dallHSi5bSktf9biP-?<\ausp=sharing

Ramallah – MIFTAH recently concluded a series of dialogue sessions that included a broad representation of politically active youth groups in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. The sessions were aimed at promoting the participation of Palestinian youth in developing approaches for the Palestinian national project and to produce a document capable of translating these approaches and the aspirations of youth on the ground.
The MIFTAH-sponsored sessions included a number of focal points, most importantly the need for a political will capable of unifying and integrating the various components of the Palestinian people through political participation. Another focus of the sessions was to provide participatory spaces based on the realization of democratic values and principles of good governance as a way out of the current and destructive state of polarization. In addition, they focused on the need to formulate a clear roadmap that embodies all Palestinian components and strengthens the internal front without infringing on rights and freedoms that express the modernity and dynamism of society.
The participants expressed their concerns about the future, maintaining that if political and social conditions do not change, this will be a recipe for more challenges and obstacles, which will ultimately threaten the ability of Palestinians to remain steadfast and combat Israeli occupation plans, violations of human rights and the curtailment of liberties. Consequently, this would increase the burden on Palestinians, they said, which makes it imperative to take action and pressure the parties, factions, institutions and public figures in the political system to shoulder their responsibilities in adopting a national plan that reflects the Palestinian people’s desire to live in dignity and freedom.
The participants also discussed the importance of supporting this Palestinian national project, since it comprises a social contract through which the roles and powers of the people and tools of management for internal Palestinian affairs are determined. They also stressed on the need for this project to be based on democratic mechanisms, including the regulation of the democratic system to allow the people to choose their representatives in decision and policy-making positions. The participants discussed the need for a balanced separation of the three powers as a framework for building a political system capable of protecting the dignity and freedoms of citizens.
The youth representatives then called for the need to expand the circle of dialogue to achieve a more comprehensive and broader involvement of social sectors. They also called for a dialogue capable of finding ways out of the current crisis of polarization so that the various societal needs and aspirations are translated into the building of a national project with broad representation and participation.
These dialogue sessions are part of MIFTAH’s efforts to sponsor a national dialogue between the various youth groups with the goal of promoting the political participation of youth and enabling them to create participatory spaces based on the adoption of a civil discourse and democratic values.

Ramallah – 12/7/2021 – MIFTAH recently completed its EU-funded “Youth as Human Rights Defenders” project, which it implemented over three and a half years, documenting Israeli human rights violations in three areas: Jerusalem, Hebron and the Gaza Strip.

A virtual reality tour of Israeli violations, including the role of Palestinian youth in documenting these violations, was held at the Mahmoud Darwish Museum in Ramallah. MIFTAH Executive Director, Dr. Tahreer Araj opened the event, explaining how the human rights defenders project focused on the monitoring and documentation of Israeli occupation violations in the three areas. In Hebron, she said, the focus was on the right to freedom of movement, education and religious rights; in occupied Jerusalem, it was on house demolitions, the right to education and religious and cultural rights. As for the Gaza Strip, the VR tour focused on violations against the rights of farmers and fishermen.

Araj continued that in the project’s second year, MIFTAH developed the first detailed analytical report on these violations, which was presented for discussion with local and international rights institutions. Specialized reports and factsheets were also written and discussed with the relevant parties.

After thanking the EU for supporting the project and the grassroots institutions that supported the defenders, Araj concluded by saying: “The importance of this project within the Palestinian context is that it is a crucial tool for monitoring and documenting Israeli violations. It could be used to promote the efforts of civil society and rights institutions in disseminating and exposing the occupation and holding it accountable for its crimes and violations against the Palestinians on international platforms.”

Meanwhile, MIFTAH project coordinator Waad Qannam said the project summarizes the efforts and work over three and a half years by human rights defenders through virtual tours of the three areas. He commended the role of the defenders in occupied Jerusalem, the old city of Hebron and in the Gaza Strip who monitored and documented Israeli violations and were able to convey the message of the Palestinian people to the world in spite of the many obstacles.

Attorney Dr. Mahmoud Abu Swai then presented the results of the second analytical report on the human rights violations, applying international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international criminal law to their specificity but also stressing that these were only a small part of the ongoing violations. The report covers the period between 2020 to mid-2021 and cites basic rights such as education, health, freedom of movement, freedom of worship, freedom to access religious sites, the right to live in Jerusalem and Hebron and rights of farmers and fishermen in the Gaza Strip, violated by occupation authorities.

While presenting the report’s recommendations, Abu Swei called for the need to provide concrete support and a strategic plan backed by material means and budgets in Jerusalem and Hebron. He also called for internationalizing attacks on places of worship, on the rights of farmers and fishermen and for doubling efforts to support the Gaza Strip, lift the siege and end the division in addition to exploring the possible legal tools to hold it accountable.

Furthermore, MIFTAH’s Policy Dialogue and Good Governance Program Director, Lamis Shuaibi said the institution wanted to present something different, with new and more advanced tools used by Palestinian youths to communicate and connect at the local and international levels. It also wanted to ensure that the presentation was in harmony with the youth defenders’ work over the past three and a half years.

“The highlighted issues focused on the specific areas and the violations committed there,” Shuaibi said. “The VR tour takes the viewer on a journey of the violations against Palestinians and makes them feel as if they were on the receiving end of these violations. It is a simulation of reality and contributes to disseminating the Palestinian narrative globally from the perspective of Palestinian youth. The project also covers a considerable range of human rights violations including the right to movement, the right to housing and worship along with other denied human rights Palestinians endure, including the right to protection.”

Shuaibi said the project included three campaigns entitled: “Our Protection is our Right” in Gaza; “100 Checkpoints” in Hebron and “We are the Origin” in Jerusalem and were managed by youth activists in these areas who were trained on means of documentation based on the Universal Human Rights Index, international law and international human rights.

Ramallah – 29/4/2021 – MIFTAH Executive Director Dr. Tahreer Al Araj met last week with Georgina Woodhouse-Hills, the political consul at the British Consulate-General in Jerusalem, and briefed her on the latest developments pertaining to Palestinian elections and their postponement.

They spoke about MIFTAH’s work in the following fields: media monitoring of the elections, capacity –building for female candidates in the various lists, women’s representation in the next PLC, bolstering the capabilities and capacities of women to be able to win in the elections and have an impact in the PLC on gender issues in particular, in addition to being able to present and discuss laws pertaining to justice and equality.

The meeting also broached the subject of elections monitoring and the role of the PLC in discussing issues put to it. They spoke about the electoral lists MIFTAH held discussions with and the Family Protection Law, which is still pending. They noted, however, that the NGO Coalition for Combatting Violence Against Women recently began working on new campaigns to build up public opinion around the protection of women from violence.

Dr. Araj stressed that MIFTAH would continue its work on the capacity-building of women leaders to run in either the PLC or local council elections from an angle of justice and equality.

Ramallah – 28/4/2021 – As part of preparations for the upcoming PLC elections, slated for May 22, MIFTAH held a number of training workshops targeting women candidates in the various electoral lists, aimed at increasing women’s chances to win PLC seats and to raise their awareness on issues of social priority. Another objective was to create an environment of dialogue between the women from the different lists based on a foundation of democratic principles and values of justice and equality between the various societal components.

Training program

The training included two focal points. The first pertained to the system of laws and procedures that regulate the electoral process and the nature and components of the democratic political system. It also revolved around the vital importance of women’s participation in political action, in addition to shedding light on a number of priority laws and public policies to be included in electoral programs and ultimately within the tasks of the next PLC. The second focal point was based on the importance of providing the candidates with the necessary knowledge and skills for utilizing traditional and modern media tools, including digital media. The goal of this was to boost the candidates’ ability in reaching the Palestinian public and conveying the gist of their electoral campaigns, based on issues in need of policy formulation and legislation capable of responding to the needs of the public. In turn, this serves to boost candidates’ abilities in mobilizing and raising awareness on their significance as representatives of marginalized social sectors, including women and youth.

Promoting leadership roles among 90 candidates

MIFTAH targets approximately 90 candidates from electoral lists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, through training workshops geared at building their leadership capacities in preparation for the next PLC. The aim is to bolster their abilities in defending and fighting for issues they believe are important so these issues have priority on PLC agendas, especially given the growing challenges resulting from the 15-year hiatus in the democratic process. Such issues include a reconsideration of educational, health and economic policies and the system of laws based on the values of justice and equality.

What did the candidates say?

The candidates all agreed on the importance of the training and how it provided them with the necessary and crucial skills for reaching and impacting the public through the media to ensure that their electoral messages touch on the needs of voters. One candidate said the training offered her skills she had lacked at the level of practical application, something which she feels she now has. “This includes making a strong impression and improving how I address the public and answer their questions. Still, I would like more practical training since we are so close to the actual elections,” she said.

Another candidate said the training bolstered her skills, especially in addressing the public, speaking to the media and communicating with social media networks. “The benefit is that we can invest what we learned in the future during our campaigning; in this way, our skills will continuously develop.”

This intervention is part of MIFTAH’s efforts to institutionalize and promote democratic practices through raising awareness and creating understanding around common issues among the various political components in Palestinian society, along with promoting the transparency of their electoral platforms to the public. It also seeks to follow up with and hold parliamentary blocs and committees accountable for their electoral promises once they reach the PLC.