Ramallah – 24/6/2020 – As part of its campaign “Be Safe and Sound” in the Gaza Strip, to protect citizens’ health and labor rights, MIFTAH held a discussion session jointly with the “Mustaqbal Center for Development” in the northern Gaza Strip. A total of 12 members (3 females, 9 males) participated along with representatives from rights and civil society organizations, activists and human rights defenders. The discussions revolved around the third quarterly report issued by the defenders for the period between January and March, 2020 and which covers violations perpetrated by the Israeli occupation against health and labor rights in this area. It was presented by Mohammed Zeid, a youth human rights defender in the southern Gaza Strip. MIFTAH implements the project with EU support in Jerusalem, Hebron and the Gaza Strip.
The session opened with a presentation by MIFTAH project coordinator for the “Youth as Human Rights Defenders” project, Waad Qannam. Qannam explained the nature of the project and its targeted areas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in addition to the rights it covers, its duration and objectives. He also discussed the defenders’ campaigns and the reasons behind their launching, explaining they were a result of their monitored violations against farmers and fishermen in the Gaza Strip. He linked these violations to the poisonous pesticides Israeli occupation forces regularly spray on Palestinian agricultural land and crops in Gaza. This has had a serious effect on the residents of this area in terms of their health and economic repercussions, over and above being repeatedly targeted by Israeli forces. This, Qannam maintained, points to the need for local and international pressure to safeguard residents’ rights to health and work. He also spoke about the importance of pushing for the creation of Red Cross or UN medical posts in the northern areas, for residents who are constantly being targeted by Israeli measures and assaults. Qannam also stressed on the need to set up soil testing laboratories in agricultural regions in addition to enacting the decree by law No. 12 of 2013 issued by President Mahmoud Abbas regarding the establishment of a risk-prevention and agricultural insurance fund, which would guarantee some level of protection for farmers and fishermen from ongoing Israeli assaults.
Human rights defender Mohammed Zaid from northern Gaza, presented their quarterly report, which showcased the most significant violations documented by the defenders between January and March, which totaled 110 violations against health and labor rights. This ranged from direct Israeli gunfire at fishermen and farmers to preventing them access to their lands, closing off designated fishing areas, flooding Palestinian farmland, spraying insecticides, bulldozing land and preventing farmers from planting trees.
The meeting included interventions from civil society and rights organizations representatives who confirmed the importance of recruiting popular support for this campaign given the clear decline in the human rights situation in the Gaza Strip. This situation is largely due to the major health and economic hazards resulting from Israel’s targeting of agricultural land and fishermen.
The participants also commended MIFTAH’s role in shedding light on the issue of farmers and fishermen in Gaza who clearly suffer from marginalization, stressing on the importance of regularly involving Palestinian society in these sessions. Additionally, they stressed on the need to call on WHO, the ILO and FAO (UN Food and Agricultural Organization) to provide medical labs for soil testing and chemical analysis for materials used by Israeli authorities on their land and which have had adverse effects on agricultural produce and on public health.
At the end of the session, Qannam stressed on the importance of continuing to hold such discussions between young human rights defenders and civil society and rights organizations, pointing out that MIFTAH holds these meetings periodically in order to involve institutions in issues addressed by the organization. He said MIFTAH espouses the notion that human rights defenders are not just individuals but civil society and community institutions and that MIFTAH’s message of protecting human rights requires concerted efforts at the national and international levels. Finally, he maintained that this message is one of the organization’s strategic approaches for disseminating the Palestinian narrative.
 |
نفذتها 'مفتاح' وتغطي انتهاكات الاحتلال في الربع الأول من العام 2020
جلسة حوارية تناقش التقرير الربعي الثالث للمدافعين عن حقوق الإنسان في شمال قطاع غزة
تاريخ النشر: 01/07/2020
بقلم: مفتاح
رام الله – 24/6/2020 – ضمن أنشطة حملة – كن سالماً آمناً – التي أطلقتها المبادرة الفلسطينية لتعميق الحوار العالمي والديمقراطية "مفتاح" في قطاع غزة لحماية حق المواطنين بالصحة والعمل، عقدت "مفتاح" جلسة حوارية بالشراكة مع هيئة المستقبل للتنمية في منطقة شمال قطاع غزة، بمشاركة (12) عضو (3 اناث ، 9 ذكور)، حضرها عدد من ممثلي المؤسسات الحقوقية ومؤسسات المجتمع المدني والناشطين والمدافعين والمهتمين، تم خلالها عرض ومناقشة التقرير الربعي الثالث الذي صدر عن المدافعين عن فترة كانون الثاني - آذار 2020، والذي يغطي الانتهاكات الواقعة من قبل الاحتلال الاسرائيلي على حقيّْ الصحة والعمل في المنطقة، قدمه المدافع محمد زيد من مجموعة المدافعين الشباب عن حقوق الإنسان في منطقة شمال القطاع.
واستهلّت الجلسة بعرض قدمه ا. وعد قنام منسق مشروع "الشباب الفلسطيني كمدافعين عن حقوق الانسان"، والذي تنفذه مؤسسة مفتاح بدعم من الاتحاد الأوروبي في كل من القدس والخليل وقطاع غزة، شرح من خلاله للحضور عن طبيعة المشروع، ومناطق استهدافه بالضفة الغربية وقطاع غزة والحقوق التي يغطيها ومدته وأهدافه. كما تحدث عن الحملات التي خرجت من المدافعين وسبب اختيارهم لحملتهم التي جاءت نتيجة لرصد عدد من الانتهاكات الواقعة على المزارعين/ات والصيادين في قطاع غزة في اطار ما ينتهجه الاحتلال من ممارسات اثر رش المبيدات الحشرية الغير معروفة على أراضي المواطنين الزراعية في قطاع غزة بشكل منتظم، الأمر الذي كان له بالغ الاثر على سكان المنطقة من حيث الآثار الصحية والمردود الاقتصادي، إضافة إلى تعرضهم للاستهداف المتكرر من قبل الاحتلال مما يشير الى ضرورة الضغط محلياً ودولياً لضمان صحتهم وحقهم بالعمل، كما تحدث عن أهمية الضغط باتجاه إنشاء نقاط طبية في منطقة الشمال تابعة للصليب الاحمر او الأمم المتحدة التي ستقدم خدمة طبية للمزارعين والصيادين والمواطنين في حال تعرضهم لأية اعتداءات او اصابات عمل والضغط علي المؤسسات الدولية والمحلية باتجاه انشاء مختبر لفحص التربة في المناطق الزراعية، إضافة إلى أهمية تفعيل القرار بقانون رقم (12) لسنة 2013 الصادر عن الرئيس الفلسطيني بشأن إنشاء صندوق درء المخاطر والتأمينات الزراعية، الذي يكفل توفير نوعاً من الحماية للمزارعين والصيادين نتيجة استهدافهم المستمر من قبل الاحتلال.
بعد ذلك استعرض المدافع محمد زيد ممثلا عن مجموعة المدافعين الشباب عن حقوق الإنسان في شمال قطاع غزة التقرير الربعي الاخير للمدافعين، حيث استعرض أهم الانتهاكات التي رصدها المدافعون خلال فترة عملهم من شهر كانون الثاني وحتى شهر آذار الماضي في منطقة شمال قطاع غزة، والبالغ عددها 110 انتهاكاً بحقيّْ الصحة والعمل، والتي تتنوع ما بين إطلاق النار المباشر على الصيادين والمزارعين ومنع وصولهم لأراضيهم، أو إغلاق البحر ومنع الصيد، وإغراق الأراضي الزراعية بالمياه من قبل الاحتلال ورش المبيدات الحشرية وتجريف الأراضي، ومنع المزارعين من زراعة الأشجار الحرجية.
وتضمن اللقاء مداخلات ممثلي مؤسسات المجتمع المدني والمؤسسات الحقوقية المختلفة، بالتأكيد على أهمية تجنيد الدعم الشعبي لهذه الحملة نتيجة التدهور الواضح بحالة حقوق الإنسان في قطاع غزة، تبعاً للمخاطر الصحية والاقتصادية الكبيرة نتيجة استهداف الأراضي الزراعية للمواطنين في قطاع غزة، إضافة إلى عرقلة عمل الصيادين.
وتم التأكيد على دور "مفتاح" بتسليط الضوء على قضية الصيادين والمزارعين والمرضى في قطاع غزة الذين يعانون من تهميش واضح، وأهمية إشراك المجتمع الفلسطيني بشكل دائم بهذه الجلسات، وكما تم التأكيد على ضرورة التوجه إلى منظمة الصحية العالمية ومنظمة العمل الدولية ومنظمة الأغذية والزراعة الدولية "الفاو" لتوفير مختبرات طبية لفحص التربة وتحليل طبيعة المواد الكيماوية التي يستخدمها الاحتلال والتي تؤدي الى تلوث الأراضي الزراعية بالمواد الكيماوية والسموم وأثر ذلك على المنتوج الزراعي، وعلى صحة المواطنين.
وفي ختام الجلسة، أكد قنام على أهمية استمرار هذا النوع من الحوارات ما بين فريق المدافعين عن حقوق الإنسان ومؤسسات المجتمع المدني الفلسطيني والمختصين بالشأن الحقوقي، والتي تهتم "مفتاح" بعقدها بشكلٍ دوري لإشراك المؤسسات بالقضايا التي تتبناها مفتاح وتدافع عنها، على اعتبار أنَّ المدافعين عن حقوق الإنسان ليسوا مجرد أفراد، وإنما مؤسسات وهيئات مجتمعية أيضاً، وأنَّ حماية حقوق الإنسان هي رسالة تتبناها مفتاح تحتاج إلى توحيد الجهود على الصعيدين الوطني والدولي لكفالتها، معتبراً ذلك من أهم التوجهات الاستراتيجية التي تتبناها "مفتاح" لنشر الرواية الفلسطينية.
 |
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.
