Minimum Rate for Wages, Supporting Women Working in Irregular Jobs

For the radio program "Through Women's Eyes", Mr. Mahmoud Ziyade, the unionist and member of the administrative board of the Federation of Independent Unions, called upon the Palestinian government to work harder to set a minimum rate for wages, hinting that the job owners do not apply the Palestinian law of labor, but the law of the market which deprives the workers from their rights. These behaviors make workers vulnerable to violations and the accompanied risks which could put their lives and the lives of their families in danger. Mr. Ziyade added that it is unreasonable for a worker to receive only 300 NIS a month.

Ziyade stated: "it is unfortunate that no one hears the demands of these workers" as he warns from neglecting the law of labor which guarantees these workers' rights. What makes the situation worse is the weak role and supervision by the Ministry of Labor, of the organizations, the work places and the work environments, Mrs. Ziyade said.

Ziyade demanded an end to the staling, and the justifications for not having specialized labor courts, taking into consideration the establishment of a customs' court. He emphasized the need to have a strong collective political well, to achieve this objective. He also pointed out that the unemployment rates and increasing, especially among graduates, demanding to provide enough job opportunities."

Ziyade added that there is 90% of workers who have irregular jobs, uncovered by the law, explaining that the National Federation of Independent Unions addressed the Ministry of Labor with a memorandum last month, demanding the issuance of a minimum rate for wages, and the social protection for workers, and it hasn't been answered until this day.

On her part, lawyer Elham ElKharaz, talked about the deteriorating economic conditions, and the escalating living costs, in addition to the low wages, which made Palestinian women vulnerable to oppression and exploitation with the absence of social protection. Al Kharaz acknowledged the development of the Palestinian Judiciary system, which now resolves the work disputes between the job owners and the workers.

Vittorio Arrignoni

The Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development was saddened to receive the news of the death of Vittorio Arrigoni, the Italian human rights activist, in Gaza last Thursday. The organization strongly condemns the kidnap and assassination of the Italian activist, and denounces the brutal crime which goes counter to our national struggle for freedom.

The PWWSD acknowledges the role the international activists play in supporting the Palestinian Cause, in addition to being the medium to transfer the Palestinian story into the world. We wish to express our deep condolences to the family of the bereaved, the Palestinian people, and all the freedom fighters, for the loss of Vittorio, who devoted his life for the Palestinian Cause, and fought bravely against the Israeli Occupation and its crimes.

Vittorio Arrignoi, despite his serious health conditions helped protect and defend the Palestinian hunters and farmers against the Israeli soldiers in Gaza. He supported the families of the prisoners, was shot and arrested, yet came back to the Strip in 2008, to fight again for Palestine. The organization is certain that the International Solidarity Movement with Palestine will continue to give support to the Palestinians, despite the atrocious crime, because the Palestinian Cause is just, and the Israeli Occupation, its offensives, and the siege it enforces upon Gaza and the West Bank, are the reasons behind the Palestinians' misery and suffering.

Stories from Palestine - Ne'meh and Fedeyieh Shabaneh

A group of Belgian activists and two representatives of the Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development have visited the house of two old women, Ne'meh and Fedeyieh Shabaneh, whose lives are an ongoing struggle against the Israeli extremist settlers:

Ne'meh and Fedeyieh Shabaneh don't remember exactly when their small house was built, but they are certain it was before any of the near settlements were brought into being. The two women of 64 winters have lived in the house with their brothers and their families for so many years, yet after a new settlement was built on top of the near mountain, and because their nieces and nephews were very young, Ne'meh & Fedeyieh's brothers had to move out to live in the village of Senjel. During the second intifada Ne'meh and Fedeyieh had to bear the aggravated hostility by the angry settlers who wanted them to evacuate the land.

The house is located on top of a slope in the outskirts of Senjel, and on the mouth of a junction which leads to an Israeli settlement nearby. First, it was designed to be a gift shop to attract the tourists who visited the mountains and the olive groves below, and a residence to the Shabaneh family. The shop which was meant to be a source of income to the family contained embroideries, porcelains, traditional cooking and harvest tools, as well as souvenirs inspired from the Palestinian heritage and culture.  However, with the deteriorating political and economic conditions, fewer tourists came, and more settlers attacked. The old ladies manage to buy their food and necessities from Senjel, twice or sometimes three times a week. They keep their front door shut to the outer world unless a familiar voice is heard calling their names from outside. Usually at night, groups of settlers bring their shadows, and begin their vandal ceremony and sabotage. Ne'meh says that whenever they attack they wreck the satellite dish, and cut the TV cables. They wildly stomp with their feet on the roof, that sometimes it feels as if the ceiling is going to fall in any minute. They break the solar bath, and throw stones at the windows. They occasionally write aggressive slogans on the front wall, and continuously rape the olive and almond trees. "Why don't they leave us alone? We've lived here long before they had come and we love this land! We miss our groves!" the old lady weeps. In the land before the house which also belongs to the Shabaneh family, the Israeli government has posted a control tower, and notified the family that they have decided to build a gas station in front of the house. Palestinians are not allowed to build in their lands, and rarely allowed to harvest  their trees, yet gas stations and settlements are freely established whenever the settlers felt like it.

 

Another threat that challenges Ne'meh and her sister is what is known as the "Randoms". These small groups of extremist Jewish settlers, which sometimes consist of one family, arrive in trailers, start with a camp, and shortly after they build a house in any land they choose, always protected by the Israeli Army, and justified by the Israeli Government.

Entering their 64^th winter, the Shabaneh old ladies face the fist of the settlers and the fist of the time wheel. Both continuous and strong, yet their resistance never fades away. "We haven't known any other home, and we won't budge" Ne'meh confirms. Like the patient candle on their table which dissipates the darkness, Ne'meh and her sister try to fight time, to save the house a little longer, and their just cause will always live within the warm walls of their threatened house.

"One Homeland, One Blood"

 

The Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development, through its office in Gaza, has launched a symbolic blood donation campaign on Thursday. The campaign aims to encourage all segments of society to debate and push for a national settlement and unity, through initiatives, and activities which demand an end to the Palestinian political division. The campaign also advocates the right of an independent Palestinian State, especially with the Israeli brute offensives against citizens in the Gaza strip. 

Wijdan Bayoumi, the coordinator of the PWWSD's Gaza office said that: "the principle goal of the campaign is to advocate a Palestinian settlement and to end the political division between Fateh and Hamas. One blood runs through our veins, and it is important to emphasize the concept of a Palestinian reconciliation, even if arrives late, but we hope that this campaign will motivate the youth to continue to achieve their dreams in building our Palestinian State."   

Bayoumi added:" the campaign was launched within a project to promote a social cooperation to achieve a Palestinian settlement, in coordination with AlKarmel Association for Culture and Social Development, Almawared Laborers Institute, Masar for Relief and Development, Annaj Forum for Development, and with the supervision of PalThink for Strategic Studies, and the support from the Swiss Agency for Development (SDC). 

The PWWSD Condemns Israeli Army Measures in Ouarta

The Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development has released a statement on April 7 2011, denouncing and condemning the Israeli militant measures in Ouarta, Nablus. The organization demanded the UN and the international organizations to force Israel to abide by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and to stop its unjustified offensives against the Palestinian civilians, especially the army's attempts to transport hundreds of citizens, including 200 women, in military trucks to the Houwara detention camp.  The operation in Ourata targeted women, children and old people, through house raids, arrests, and the detention of hundreds of citizens. The PWWSD stressed that arbitrary detention is a blatant violation of the human rights endorsed by the international organizations.

The organization denounces the Israeli procedures which include fingerprint and blood tests. It accentuates the illegality of such attempts, and considers the Ourata operation a straight infringement to the Palestinians' human rights, women's rights in particular.

PWWSD condemns ransack of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees Office

The Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development denounces the ransacking of the office of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees in Ramallah. The organization wishes to express its solidarity with the union's committees which put great efforts for the development process in Palestine. It also condemns the ransacking and stealing of computers and servers, and the seizure of the union's private database, by assailants who clearly meant to target the organization.

The Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development considers the act as vandal, unethical and void of all national commitment. Yet it will not hinder the un-governmental organizations from pursuing their objectives, empowering the Palestinian farmers, and protecting the Palestinians lands from confiscation and juidization. This incident will not affect these organizations' developmental activities.

The society demand the Palestinian Authority to start real investigations to take all those responsible of the vandal act to court.

Pro-Palestinian Belgian Group in Senjel

A group of young Belgian activists has visited our office in Ramallah on April 6 2011. The general director of the organization Mrs. Amal Khreishe welcomed the group in Al-Zewade Restaurant, and introduced them to the programs and roles of the Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development in the Palestinian society, regional and international communities. Mrs. Amal Khreishe expressed her deep gratitude for the group's support and solidarity, saying that these gestures nourish our humanity beyond the geographical and lingual borders. 

The group of 12 activists arrived in Palestine a week ago, visited the cities of Bethlehem, Jericho, Jerusalem and Hebron, stopped at Ramallah before they took off to Nablus, Nazareth and the occupied Golan Heights. They all share a sincere commitment to the Palestinian Cause as they assured to embrace every detail of our story and carry it with them back home. 

Arriving in Senjel, the group met with representatives of the Women's Cooperative in town, and had a Palestinian traditional Lunch, "Mansaf". Afterwards, they visited the embroidery exhibition, one of the cooperative's long-term projects, and the soap factory. Accompanied by Saba Nader and Ne'meh Assaf, the group headed towards the confiscated farmlands of Senjel, and was warmly hosted by Ms. Ne'meh Shabaneh for a cup of tea at her house which is isolated, and threatened by the settlers of the near settlement. Around 13:00 pm, their bus drove up north, to Nablus, Nazareth and the Golan, in a brave attempt to try to fill the pieces of the puzzle, and perhaps reunite the memories, the hope, and the country which is torn apart with an enormous wall and hundreds of checkpoints.