Open-Panel on the Right to Property and Women’s Economic Empowerment

The PWWSD organized an open-panel on women’s right to property, and its role in empowering women economically, among the activities for the Inheritance Denied project, implemented by the DCA, YMCA, PWWSD, and WSC. Lawyer Fadwa Dweib moderated the session, which featured Cheikh Youssef Id’ies the head of the Judiciary court, Suhair Abu Taka, the consultant for the minister of social affairs and Mrs. Amal Khreishe, the general director of the PWWSD. Cheikh Idi’es talked about women’s right to property in Islam, and the need to hold back the outdated traditions that deprive women from their rights. He also talked about the need to register the inheritance in the formal courts in order to distribute it fairly.

Amal Khreishe talked about the current conditions of Palestinian women, and the violence they experience. She stressed that depriving women from their right to inheritance or property is a violation of the international human rights conventions. She expressed her hope that the Inheritance Denied project will assist women to retrieve their right to property, and therefore be economically and socially empowered.  

Khreishe added that the Palestinian woman faces different forms of violations and violence. She faces her society which denies her basic rights, and prohibits her from participating in the public life in an equal manner with men despite her competencies and academic proficiency. She also faces the Israeli Occupation that tries to vanquish her by all means.

On the Eve of the International Day to Combat Violence, PWWSD calls to join Efforts to eliminate Violence against Women

Each year, the 25^th of November marks the International Day to combat Violence against Women. In 1999, the UN General Assembly called for an annual observance of this day, to contribute to combating violence against women around the world. The UN called upon governments and international and non-governmental organizations to raise awareness about this phenomenon.

This day arrives as Palestinian women continue to suffer from violence from several sources; the Israeli occupation, thus violating Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law and preventing women from accessing their rights under the law, in addition to the domestic violence practiced against women by their Palestinian husbands, brothers, fathers, cousins as a part of the structuralized violence and discrimination imposed by the patriarchal society structure.

In commemoration of this day PWWSD calls upon all  governmental and human rights organizations to join efforts and lobby in favor of developing modern laws in the Palestinian society, which meet women’s demands and combat their violation.  In addition, PWWSD demands to suspend the current outdated laws which legitimize violence against women, both directly and indirectly. The organization reaffirms the importance of the presidential decree issued by president Mahmoud Abbas to overturn the two articles regarding “the legitimate and diluted excuses” which avoid men high sentences or even punishment for killing women.  Despite this important step taken by the president to punish femicide perpetrators, PWWSD considers it insufficient, was it not followed by more decrees and legalizations to criminalize violence against women.

PWWSD points out that Palestinian woman still suffer from fatal violations of their right to life: their right to life which is sacred in all religions, and firmly established by international law and human right conventions. The right to life is also protected by the Palestinian Basic Law 2003; though a number of Palestinian women are killed each year due to the so-called “honour killing”. PWWSD adds that the law system applied in the West Bank and Gaza, respectively Jordanian and Egyptian law, protects the perpetrators rather than the women and serves diluted sentences which save them from punishment. Though femicide is illegal under international law, the existing system of overlapping law system in Palestine provides legislative cover for the criminals in addition to granting them social respect.

The organization calls upon the Palestinian president Mr. Mahmoud Abbas to issue decrees in favor of women, in order to protect their right to life. It also asks the president to state legislations that would protect the Palestinians’ dignity, and help reunite them to finally achieve a Palestinian-Palestinian agreement. A united Palestine is imperative and necessary in order to develop and implement laws and legislation that would meet the demands of all segments of the Palestinian society.

To commemorate this day, the PWWSD will organize a number of activities to highlight to issue of combating violence against women; including workshops, educational seminars, and graffiti that reflect women’s issues, including their rights to inheritance and property. PWWSD will also organize a day of solidarity in the Al- Nabi Saleh, one of the villages that are affected by the Israeli Segregation Wall, to support the women in that village to fight against the Israeli war machine and colonization.

The general director of the PWWSD Mrs. Amal Khreishe stated that Palestinian women face different forms of violence and oppression. On one hand, they stagger under the patriarchal fist which deprives them their right to equally participate in the public life alongside with men, despite their competence and education. The patriarchal mentality also divests them their right to inheritance and property, and consequently to a decent economic and social status. On the other hand, Palestinian women suffer from the Israeli occupation which strives to vanquish women, and confiscate their lives. Khreishe confirmed that the PWWSD, through its offices in the West Bank and Gaza is committed to exert more programs, empowerment, social and counseling activities, in order to help women stand strong, to contribute in building a democratic Palestinian society that is based on social justice and gender equality.

School Violence Combat and Treatment Strategies

In cooperation with the psychosocial counseling program in the municipality of Nablus, and funded by the UNPF, the children’s library in the PWWSD – Nablus conduced  a workshop on school violence and its consequences. The participants agreed to join efforts in order to develop the strategies needed to combat this phenomenon. They stated that there is a need to activate the parents’ council, as well as the role of the counselors, to bridge the gap between those and the students.  The participants also recommended reconsidering the process of education, as it is supposed to be creative and motivational, and not informative only.

Over 100 academics and representatives of educational institutions, as well as parents attended the workshop, which aimed to shed light on the violence phenomenon in schools and address the potential means to combat it. Mrs. Samar Hawash moderated the session, as she took off by presenting a number of statistics regarding school violence and its principle factors. 

Dr. Alia Alassali, from Al-Najah National University, talked about the role of the curriculum in combating violence and promoting gender equality. She stressed the need to utilize the Palestinian curriculum as a strategic means of positive change in society (the content, the methods, the goals, the activities, and the evaluation parameters). In addition, she focused on the curriculum’s roles in motivating creativity, changing the stereotypical images portrayed about women, and positively discriminating with special-needs children. 

Mrs. Hakima Jaber talked about school violence within the social context, including domestic violence, and moral harassment. She put the responsibility on the institutions and the families to track this phenomenon and treat it with the appropriate educational methods. She also introduced different forms of violence including verbal, physical, psychological and sexual abuse.

On his behalf, lutenant Ashraf Motlaq talked about the different police divisions that operate on children’s safety, like the family unit, and the juvenile department. He confirmed the police’s willingness to cooperate with governmental and non-governmental organizations, in order to combat this phenomenon. He also presented the applied measures the police take to fight school violence, as well as the means for prevention and treatment.

Engineer Anan Ghazzal spoke about the role of the municipality of Nablus in honoring education, through allocating budgets to build schools according to the international standards. He also talked about the different services the municipality provides, and stressed the role of the family in promoting tolerance and civil peace.

On the Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, PWWSD demands Israel to stop its Violations of the Rights of Palestinians.

The 10^th of December marks the 63^rd anniversary for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration is considered the foundation of all humanitarian concepts and values, which state that all people have the right to live with dignity, to enjoy equal and indisputable rights such as freedom, justice and world peace.

This year, the day to celebrate human rights arrives to a different atmosphere than previous years; this year, the voices of Franz Fanon’s “The Wretched of the earth” arise to demand dignity and to prosecute and punish their former oppressors.  The people demand that the tyrants are brought to trials where they are judged by their equals.  Over this past year, women have broken their silence to assume their rightful positions in society.

However, on this anniversary there still is a need to stress the moral and legal obligations of governments and the international community by uphold the individual and the collective rights that are said to be protected by this declaration. Furthermore, this is an opportunity to reemphasize the urgency to achieve justice in the Palestinian Territory the right of the Palestinian people according to international law. It is an opportunity to remind the international community of its responsibilities to stop the ongoing Israeli violations against Palestinian women, men and children, in addition to confiscation of land and resources. The international societies complying silence against the illegal annexation of Palestinian lands, the construction of the Separation Wall and settlements, ongoing Judaization of Jerusalem coupled with the silent ethnic cleansing and the collective punishment of Gaza urgently needs to come to an end.

The Palestinian unity is imperative in order to establish a functioning government that can provide its citizens with security and stability.

PWWSD demand that the political parties settle their disputes in order to achieve internal agreement  so that the Palestinian citizens can demand the implementation of their human rights as promised by the Palestinian authority and Presidential decrees.  PWWSD further calls upon the international community to hold Israel accountable of their breaches of international law and to abide by international law as they are obliged to as the occupant to abide by the international legitimacy to respect human rights, and to be held accountable for the continuous crimes it commits against the Palestinians.

On the anniversary of the universal declaration of human rights we call upon the countries that have signed the fourth Geneva Convention to meet their responsibilities, in order to protect the Palestinian people and achieve their rights in building an independent Palestinian state.

Banning PWWSD’s representative to travel to a conference in South Africa

Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development condemns the Israeli occupation’s authorities to ban its representative from travelling outside the country. In respond to the invitation from IFWEA, in which PWWSD is a member, the organization nominated Ms. Suhad Abdul- Lateef to participate in the annual conference that is scheduled to take place in South Africa by the end of November and the beginning of December as well as participating in a meeting with the Swedish organization Olof Palme in order to explore the possibilities of cooperation with the Palestinian organizations involved in empowering women.

 At the time PWWSD expresses its condemn of the Israeli authorities decision, it considers the banning as violation of international human rights law that stresses the right of individuals to move freely. Moreover, the Israeli decision comes as part of the Israeli practices to impose restrictions on the work of the Palestinian civil organizations.

We call upon all international organizations to interfere with their national governments to press on the Israeli authorities to stop its arrogance procedures against Palestinians. Particularly, we call upon IFWEA conference to include condemning the Israeli practice within its closing statement.

International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People – November 29th 2011

As we approach the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian people on November 29^th, we reflect on the current situation in Palestine and what needs to be done to achieve peace in the Middle East. While the world commemorates this day and show support for the Palestinian people with special events, meetings and vigils, Israel continues to defy the international community by granting new approvals for expanding settlements in the occupied territory.

The so called “peace process” has once again reached a cul-de-sac after the recent construction of hundreds of units, which seriously damages the credibility of the negotiations, and increases the mass despair in the region. 

To commemorate this day, the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of the UN stated: "An overwhelming international consensus exists on the need to end the ‎occupation that began in 1967, address the fundamental security concerns of both parties, ‎find a solution to the refugee issue and see Jerusalem emerge from negotiation as the ‎capital of two States”. With respect to Ban Ki-moon’s statement, PWWSD believes that resolving the roots of the conflict relies on resolving the issue of the Palestinian refugees, by applying the UNSCR 194 and 181.  Mr. Ban Ki-moon has to take the necessary measures to force the Israeli government to abide by the International Law, and to be held countable for its regional and international responsibilities. Therefore Mr. Ki-moon, should have addressed the issues needed to be resolved, in order to prevail respect for the UN charter, and achieve international peace and security.

Based on international Humanitarian Law and conventions regarding a possible solution for the Israeli – Arab conflict, the Palestinian president Mr. Abbas addressed the UN Security Council this September to apply for full membership of Palestine in the UN. However, the proposal was rejected in the Security Council as a result of deficiency in votes due to pressure from the American-Israeli lobby.

Palestinians continue to struggle against the Israeli Occupation. PWWSD persists to cross all physical and mental borders that were enforced upon us by the occupation, in order to obtain our Palestinian self-determination and build our independent sovereignty. As an essential player of the national social and political arena, the Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development aims to build a free democratic Palestinian society, which is based on social justice and gender equality. In order to facilitate a broad civil development, PWWSD is committed to spreading awareness among both men and women on issues relating to human rights and gender issues.

PWWSD recognizes that there can be no just and sustainable peace without the involvement and support from the international community. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to our international friends and partners, and encourage you all to participate in such public observance, for justice and peace in the Middle East, and the entire world