MIFTAH
Friday, 29 March. 2024
 
Your Key to Palestine
The Palestinian Initiatives for The Promotoion of Global Dialogue and Democracy
 
 
 

Gaza –A public policy meeting was held by MIFTAH at the end of February as part of its project to promote young political women leaders [Phase II], with support from UNDP/PAPP, with the participation of several representatives from Palestinian factions and forces. The meeting was entitled “Opening the door to participation of young Palestinian women leaders within political factions”. In the meeting, participants called on civil society institutions to take a bigger role in educating women and raising their awareness to the importance of their participation in political life. They stressed on the importance of ratifying a legal system or law that would encourage the active participation of women in political life and obligate all parties to involve women according to their proportional social representation. This, they said, would also help to change the cultural and social constraints that restrict women’s and youths active participation. The participants said this could be achieved through regaining democratic life in Palestine, ending the division and renewing the social contract between citizens and leadership institutions through immediate and democratic elections in which women and youth participate.

The participants also recommended to give women more space and to remove the obstacles, which prevent them from reaching higher positions and allowing them make free and transparent choices without the worry of nepotism or classification. A new condition needs to be created, they said, where relationships are based on respect and appreciation instead of on the patriarchal authority women are forced to live under, which marginalizes them and limits their participation.

Changing stereotypes

MIFTAH coordinator in the Gaza Strip Shadiya Al Ghoul opened the meeting by stressing on the need to change stereotypes so that women leaders can be more active in political participation. This is why MIFTAH decided to hold this session with faction leaders, she said, so women can demand that the obstacles that hinder them from reaching decision-making positions are removed.

Participants’ presentations

Participants focused on the front role of Palestinian women alongside men in all aspects of the national struggle. They said this was ultimately to the benefit of the Palestinian leadership, which strongly believes in the importance and participation of women and youths. However, in spite of Palestinian women’s positive strides in society in comparison with other Arab women, this role is still lacking, for both women and youth. They expressed their desire for more active participation in the future in proportion to their social size. In this regard, the participants stressed on the need to take important practical steps within the factions including raising the representation and participation of women in all leadership bodies and in the future whether at the faction or national levels by imposing a minimum level for women’s representation. This, they said would hopefully be raised in the future through binding laws on everyone.

Mechanisms of implementation

The speakers, however, pointed out that Palestinian factions had not changed their modes of operation or modified their programs in a way that coincides with the requirements of the times in terms of women’s and youths’ needs and aspirations and the challenges face within the national cause and the society. This, they said, has increased their exclusion, and limited political activity to the old guard even though women and youth leaders had always been present and ready at all stages of the struggle.

Hence, they said the door must be open to women and youth, and stereotypes debunked and replaced with perceptions based on rights and respect. A strategy is needed in which new blood can be pumped into the veins of the entire Palestinian condition.

 
 
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