Ramallah – It was a unique experience for all. For the three women and members of Palestinian local councils who participated in the study tour to Morocco to learn more about the experience of Moroccan women in decision-makiang positions, it was beneficial and exciting. For MIFTAH, it was a pioneer initiative, necessary to complement the training workshops and discussion sessions it organizes for Palestinian female local council members. The visit was aimed at exchanging experiences and networking between the women from both countries.
Elections are the way
Jehad Zhour, member of Al-Bireh Municipality gave her impressions on the visit, saying: “We were introduced to Jamileh Afif, elected head of the Conseil Préfectoral de Marrakech and a member of parliament in addition to being a university professor. She is the only woman among 34 male members”, Zhour says, adding that when elected, Afif focused on Moroccan villages and the countryside. “She paved the way for marginalized areas; she built archways to prevent floods and was able to deliver water, electricity and a sewage system to these areas. She took advantage of International Women’s Day to launch a project to follow up with poor village schoolgirls.”
Zhour also said they met with the deputy mayor of Marrakesh, another woman named Hayat Al Mashfou’. “She is a lawyer, a legal advisor and is also a special-needs person.” Zhour goes on about Al Mashfou’s accomplishments. “Today she is the head of the Bar Association and is in charge of the file for conflict resolutions between individuals.” She says Mashfou’ ran in the elections on a list to complete the quorum and won along with head of the Guéliz district in Marrakesh Ms. Zakiyeh Marini. “They were the only two women to win out of 17 others who ran.”
Zhour continues Mashfou’s story: “It wasn’t easy for her to win the confidence of the people, especially with her disability. That is why she refused for the parties to consider her as just a means of completing the list. She worked hard over three years until she became deputy mayor in 2012.”
As for Mashfou’s advice to her Palestinian counterparts, Zhour says: “She told us that in order to succeed, and win the trust of the society, you need patience, diligence and determination. And you cannot succeed without the close participation of civil society.”
Zhour says Moroccan women are facing similar challenges like other Arab societies in terms of patriarchal domination and the marginalization of women. They also must deal with family and tribe rejection of their political participation, and with high levels of ignorance and illiteracy, especially in Morocco’s villages and countryside, not to mention the social prejudices against people with special needs.
Zhour said the Moroccan experience had made her even more determined to rise to the challenge of defying society’s perception of women, “especially when they are in decision-making positions”. She also said she would definitely run in the upcoming elections, either at the local or national level.
Overcoming obstacles
Member of the Burqa Local Council Reem Haji said the visit had a major impact on her. “It gave me that push and motivation to reach positions that will help me achieve my goals and aspirations,” she says. “What I realized is that women are capable of action and of giving wherever they are placed, it is inevitable that they can overcome challenges and obstacles that face them.”.
New horizons for new ways of thinking
Yolla Khair from the Beit Sahour Municipality was also very positive about the study tour, saying it showed her new ways of thinking. “I learned that perseverance, determination and willpower are the paths to success and to reaching decision making positions,” Khair maintained. “But this only comes through facing challenges, regardless of how insurmountable they may seem. “
Khair met with several leading Moroccan women and with official and civil Moroccan organizations. “Each one has a success story which Palestinian women and local council members can benefit from. The beginnings of the Moroccan experience were very close to the Palestinian one, which means we can build on the experience of these women,” says Khair, adding this could be achieved through unifying women’s discourse, raising awareness on their political participation and understanding the true role of women in society. “This study tour has deepened my belief in my role as a woman and as a member of the Beit Sahour municipality, and in the need to raise political awareness among women, especially among youth.”
Zaghari: the goal was to exchange experiences
MIFTAH coordinator Abeer Zaghari said the organization carried out the study visit to Marrakesh and Casablanca in Morocco between May 31 and June 6, 2015 with the participation of three local council members from the West Bank areas of Al-Bireh, Burqa/Nablus and Beit Sahour. The study tour was part of the “AMAL” programme which MIFTAH implements in coordination with SIDA, OXFAM and civil society organizations. Zaghari said the one-week visit was aimed at exchanging experiences and learning about the political participation of women in Morocco and the nature of women’s political action, in particular the role of women in leadership and in decision-making.
Zaghari said MIFTAH, in cooperation with Al Nakheel Association in Marrakesh, which is a regional partner in the “AMAL” programme, held a series of meetings in which the participants met with elected Moroccan women leaders in high-ranking positions. The visit also included field trips to AMAL’s partners in Morocco, including Ennakhil Association for Women and Children in Marrakech and the Democratic Association for Moroccan Women in Casablanca. Meetings with the Moroccan press were also organized to discuss the visit and the reality of political participation of women in both Palestine and Morocco.
MIFTAH releases 2021-2022 comparative actual spending reports for the social and security sectors, including social justice and gender indicators
Date posted: April 04, 2023
By MIFTAH
MIFTAH recently released 2021-2022 comparative actual spending reports for the social sector (health, education, higher education and scientific research, social development and labor), and for the first time, the security sector (Ministry of Interior and National Security). The reports were based on annual financial data released by the Ministry of Finance in Palestine for 2021-2022 and on an accrual basis.
The data showed that the Ministry of Interior and National Security had the highest percentage of actual spending in 2022, accounting for 22.8% of overall public expenditures, or ILS3.68 billion. This was a slight increase from the Ministry’s share in 2021. Meanwhile, actual spending on the education sector (Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research) stood at 21.5% of overall public expenditures, or ILS3.48 billion. This was also an increase from the education sector’s share in 2021, which was 20.6% of public expenditures.
Moreover, actual spending on the Ministry of Health also increased in 2022, comprising 15% of overall public expenditures, at a sum of ILS2.4 billion. This was higher than in 2021, where its share was 14.4%. As for the Ministry of Social Development, actual spending was still low, amounting for 6.2% of overall public expenditures in 2022, compared to 5.8% in 2021. The Ministry of Social Development’s actual spending in 2022 was approximately ILS1 billion. As for the labor sector, actual spending on this sector in 2022 was 0.31% of overall public expenditures, while in 2021 it was 0.28%. Actual spending on the labor sector in 2022 was ILS50.1 million.
Upon review of actual spending reports of the targeted ministries from a gender and social justice perspective, it is clear that actual spending on the Ministry of Social Development does not coincide with the scope of its responsibilities as the forerunner of the social sector in Palestine, including its programs for combatting poverty and the protection of poor and marginalized social sectors. Moreover, non-compliance to the disbursement of payments for poor families within the CTP continued according to estimates, whereby only two of four installments for 2022 were disbursed, one at minimum value. This adversely affected the financial security of the most underprivileged and marginalized sectors of society, in addition to the insufficient estimated budget and actual spending on the social protection program, in spite of its importance in providing protection and social services to battered women, children, special-needs persons and the elderly.
The data also pointed to the low percentage of women working in the security sector, which stood at 6% of the total number of workers in this sector, while they comprised 46% of the civil sector. This shows a gap in actual spending on the security sector from a gender perspective, given that the lion’s share of actual spending in 2022 was on salaries and wages. Hence, women only benefited very little from these allocations, which were nearly ILS2.9 billion in 2022.
The data also indicated that the development expenditures for the Ministry of Labor were only ILS4.5 million in 2022, even though planned development expenditures were ILS32 million, which is much higher. This casts a shadow on gender-related programs and projects, which were allotted sizeable budgets within development expenditures, such as creating sustainable opportunities as alternatives for Palestinian men and women working in settlements, for which ILS10 million were earmarked.
Even though there was an increase in actual spending in 2022 at the targeted ministries in general, this increase was mainly concentrated on salaries and wages. In spite of the importance of providing a decent life for employees, there is still a need to increase spending on development expenditures, since they are at the forefront of developing government services, including the nationalization and institutionalization of various social services.
MIFTAH concludes town hall meetings on political participation and citizens’ rights for women and youth
Date posted: January 09, 2023
By MIFTAH
Ramallah – 29/12/2022 – Within its efforts to promote democratic values and the peaceful transfer of power within the Palestinian government system, MIFTAH’s field advisory team completed over 100 town hall meetings in the second half of 2022. The meetings were held in coordination and cooperation with CSOs, LGUs and grassroots organizations and targeted women and youth in several West Bank and Gaza Strip districts. The objective of these meetings was to raise awareness among the electorate on the electoral system in Palestine and on civil society demands to increase women and youth participation in local and general elections as candidates and voters, on the premise that this boosts their presence in decision-making levels and involves them in public affairs.
The town hall meetings included several exchange visits between LGU members in the various districts. The women shared the experiences and challenges they faced after becoming council members. The meetings focused on the concept of citizenship within a broader definition of the various forms of political participation and the importance of involvement from youth and women in public life. They also pointed to the different forms of democracy and the main pillars of the democratic society Palestinians seek to create. The participants furthermore discussed the various forms of electoral systems and shed light on the gaps in electoral laws regarding the presence of women and youth.
The participants pointed to the importance of periodic legislative and presidential elections and the danger of the ongoing absence of the PLC on matters pertaining to civic peace. They also warned against the absence of oversight and accountability, maintaining that the defunct PLC has contributed to shrinking civic space and public freedoms and therefore, the ability or desire to become involved in political life, especially for women and youth. In most of the meetings, the participants also indicated that the absence of a regular democratic process in Palestine contributed to the overall exclusion of youth from participation and to the marginalization of the role of women in Palestinian political decision-making.
The town hall meetings stressed on the importance of pressing for legislative, presidential and local elections in all West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza Strip districts. They also endorsed the demand for equality in electoral laws, starting with raising the women’s quota to a minimum of 30%, raising the candidacy age and lowering the threshold. They urged Palestinian factions to assume a key role in the process of inclusion for women and youth in the public sphere and to prevent the progression of tribalism in the democratic process. The attendees emphasized the importance of monitoring the performance of LGUs in their interaction with local communities and the consistency of their meetings. Finally, they said female council members must be given the opportunity to exercise their role in their respective councils as equals to their male counterparts.
MIFTAH holds town hall meetings on an annual basis as part of its awareness campaign on citizens’ rights and the promotion of the democratic approach for a peaceful transfer of power, in addition to the involvement of women and youth in elections as both candidates and voters. Each year, through these town hall meetings, MIFTAH aims to reach the widest possible segment of the electorate and the different social sectors in all parts of Palestine.
MIFTAH completes training workshop in the Gaza Strip on family protection and advocacy
Date posted: January 05, 2023
By MIFTAH
Gaza – 2/1/2023 – MIFTAH recently completed a training workshop on measures and regulations on family protection in the Gaza Strip. The workshop was part of MIFTAH’s strategic objectives to prioritize family issues in communities and to support local institutions in increasing awareness on citizenship and constitutional rights for Palestinian women and on combatting all forms of GBV and discrimination in Palestinian society.
The workshop’s objectives included providing institutions with important information on the legislations, laws and measures for family protection in effect in the Gaza Strip, in a bid to enhance the oversight role of CSOs in holding accountable official parties responsible for enforcing these measures and legislations. The training also included offering institutions the necessary mechanisms for managing digital and media campaigns to press for the ratification of laws and legislation that protect women’s rights.
The discussions focused on a number of points, including legal (including sharia law) rebuttals to claims from parties opposing legislation, including the Family Protection Law. They also discussed how applicable this law would be in the Gaza Strip once ratified by the President.
The participants unanimously agreed that they supported adoption of the law, giving no credence to the claims of more extreme elements in Gaza on the Family Protection Law. They called on MIFTAH to hold general, open meetings with the public to introduce them to the law and its importance, so that they could defend themselves from the extremist discourse surrounding it.
Opinions and impressions
One of the participants, Latifa Shatat, said such training workshops were crucial for every Palestinian, male and female. “It is great we are pressing for protection laws such as the Family Protection Bill. This law will have tremendous impact on society as a whole. I can say from experience as a social and mental health worker that protection is the most important element in our work, especially in cases involving women and children, who are the most vulnerable social sectors. I commend MIFTAH and anyone who participates in spreading a culture of nonviolence, protection, justice and equality.”
Meanwhile, Haifa Al Araj said the training offered important details about the Family Protection Law and also ways of conducting initiatives and activities that could produce positive results in mobilizing support it.
Another participant, Hatem Abu Ta’a, said the training was a new starting point for him as an institution director in terms of integrating the demand to implement the Family Protection Law in all advocacy and lobbying activities and programs. He said he became more aware of the impediments to the law’s implementation at the official and social level, saying, “This training reminds us to renew our calls to demand implementation and ratification of the law at the official level.”
Meanwhile, Mahmoud Abu Rabee said ratification of the Family Protection Law would be a huge step, for women and children especially. “This law will amplify women’s voices and their ability to access help with stronger and more supportive centers throughout the homeland. As a strong supporter of this bill, I want to stress on the importance of civil society institutions explaining the clauses in the bill pertaining to CEDAW and to also focus on working with parties that oppose the law in particular.”
The training workshop is part of MIFTAH’s “Policy dialogue and Good Governance” Program, which aims at influencing public policies and legislation in favor of protection for citizens’ rights in Palestinian society, based on the principles of social justice and respect for human rights.
