Ramallah – On October 20, MIFTAH held a zoom session to showcase the results of its study, which monitored and documented Israeli human rights violations against Palestinian women during the state of emergency imposed during the coronavirus pandemic. The study was conducted in the districts of Jerusalem, Hebron and the Jordan Valley and include violations resulting from Israeli military measures and settler violence.
The study highlighted three factors categorizing these targeted areas: the colonialist settlement regime; the social and cultural patriarchal system and its relation to the colonialist regime; and the marginalization of these areas from various aspects including the most recent factor, which is the coronavirus pandemic.
Interventions
All of the interventions in the session called for a plan to protect women in seam zones most affected by these violations, in addition to lobbying and advocacy campaigns to provide health care services to women and girls in these areas, which suffer from meagre Ministry of Health services. This is attributed to a number of factors related to the Israeli occupation and settlement expansion and the lack of support and international funding for programs and health services in these areas. They considered the report an opportunity to shed light on the situation of women under occupation during the pandemic, to be used in early warning measures for linking these issues to Israel’s violations and to the need to hold the occupation and settlers accountable. They also called for including the study’s recommendations in the action framework for implementing the UNSCR1325 National Action Plan as follow up and implementation and for exclusivity for marginalized areas in terms of protection, services and alleviating the everyday hardships and challenges facing Palestinian women under occupation. In particular, the interventions pointed to Palestinian areas threatened with confiscation, annexation and population displacement.
Presentation
Dr. Nader Said and the Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD) team, commissioned by MIFTAH for the report, presented the highlights of the study. He addressed the political developments pertaining to Israel’s systematic policies of expansion, annexation and attempts to take over more Palestinian land amid Israel’s continued violation of international agreements and refusal to abide by international laws and human rights treaties. The report also broached the Israeli occupation’s ongoing violations against the Palestinian people in general and against women and children in particular, which has had an adverse impact on women in terms of their access to resources and curtailed ability of movement and free choice.
The study showed that all areas under control of or in direct contact with Israeli soldiers or settlers, especially areas the Israeli government is threatening to annex, suffer from a lack of economic, educational and political opportunity and prosperity. It said that throughout the pandemic, there has been a concerning increase of violence against Palestinians, whether by Israeli occupation forces or settlers. This period also saw an increase in arrests in spite of the spread of the virus and the state of emergency in place.
The study ascertained that the lockdowns, Israeli checkpoints and the cuts in medical referrals to hospitals in Jerusalem all put pregnant women and newborns at risk. These restrictions increased during the state of emergency mostly under security pretexts, which had a major impact on the people’s ability to move freely, reach their workplaces and access health and educational services in addition to receiving humanitarian aid. Moreover, due to Israel’s restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19, some landowners behind the separation wall or near settlements were unable to obtain permits allowing them to reach their land. Others were denied access because of the closure of gates in the separation wall or when permit-holders were prevented from reaching their workplaces [inside the Green Line]. This had an adverse effect on production and therefore, their livelihood. The state of emergency coincided with discussions on the annexation of West Bank areas to Israel while concomitantly seeing the highest average of demolitions in the past four years. These demolitions included not only homes but water, sewage and sanitation facilities, agricultural structures and others, which impacted the ability of Palestinians to access these services.
Results
The study concluded with the following results: 99.6% of women participants in the study (sample of 245 women) have been subjected to assault, prevention, violation or harassment by Israeli occupation forces or settlers during the state of emergency; 69% of women saw an increase in Israeli violations and settlement attacks; 81% of women were subjected to restrictions on movement in reaching basic services; 74% of women in the Jordan Valley have been subjected to assaults on their properties while 95% of women said the violations made them more vulnerable to the risk of abortion. Furthermore, 89% of the women said the closure of their areas negatively impacted their ability to reach clinics and hospitals for treatment, while 98% said the lockdowns and Israeli violations negatively impacted the ability of preventative medicine teams and the Ministry of Health from maintaining a presence in their areas. Israeli violations, furthermore, negatively impacted the livelihood of 93% of women and their families and Israeli closures in their areas had a negative effect on the ability of 91% of women to secure sufficient funds.
Recommendations
The study also produced a number of recommendations including: the need to develop clear interventions by official, international and civil society parties in order to find ways to support these sectors and promote their endurance on the land against Israeli military violations and settler attacks; to continue documenting violations against Palestinian women by occupation forces and settlers in all areas; increasing efforts to adjust UNSCR1325 in harmony with the Palestinian situation; and to hold Israel accountable for violations against women in Palestine.
This session was held as part of MIFTAH’s interventions to support efforts in implementing the WPS agenda in Palestine and within its OXFAM-funded “Conflict and Fragility” project.
جلسة ل'مفتاح' تناقش نتائج دراسة حول رصد وتوثيق انتهاكات حقوق الإنسان ضد النساء الفلسطينيات من قبل الاحتلال أثناء حالة الطوارئ في القدس والخليل والاغوار
تاريخ النشر: 22/10/2020
بقلم: مفتاح
رام الله - 22/10/2020 - عقدت المبادرة الفلسطينية لتعميق الحوار العالمي والديمقراطية "مفتاح" يوم الثلاثاء الموافق 20/1/2020 - جلسة خاصة وعبر تطبيق زوم، تم من خلالها استعراض نتائج دراسة أعدتها مؤسسة "مفتاح" تم من خلالها رصد وتوثيق انتهاكات حقوق الإنسان ضد النساء الفلسطينيات من قبل الاحتلال الاسرائيلي أثناء حالة الطوارئ التي رافقت انتشار كوفيد-19 في مناطق القدس و الخليل والأغوار، والتي وقفت على الانتهاكات التي تتعرض لها النساء الفلسطينيات نتيجة الممارسات الاسرائيلية العسكرية وعنف المستوطنين.
وأبرزت الدراسة ثلاثة عوامل جعلت من تلك المناطق مستهدفة، وهي: النظام الكولونيالي الاستعماري، والنظام الأبوي الاجتماعي والثقافي وارتباطه بالنظام الاستعماري، والتهميش الذي تعانيه تلك المناطق في مختلف المجالات، بالإضافة إلى العامل الرابع الجديد المتعلق بكورونا.
المداخلات
دعت المداخلات في مجملها إلى إعداد خطة حماية للنساء في مناطق التماس الأكثر تضرراً من الانتهاكات، بالإضافة إلى القيام بحملات مناصرة وضغط لتوفير خدمات الرعاية الصحية للنساء والفتيات ضمن هذه المناطق والتي تعاني شح في الخدمات الصحية المقدمة من وزارة الصحة لجملة العوامل المرتبطة بوجود الاحتلال الاسرائيلي العسكري والتوسع الاستيطاني وقلة الدعم والموارد المالية الدولية للبرامج والخدمات الصحية في هذه المناطق ، واعتبار دراسة "مفتاح" فرصة للإضاءة على أوضاع النساء تحت الاحتلال في ظل كورونا واستخدمها في آليات الإنذار المبكر لارتباط كثير مما ورد فيها من قضايا بالاحتلال وانتهاكاته، وضرورة مساءلته على هذه الانتهاكات سواء ما كان على الصعيد العسكري، أو ما تعلق بعنف المستوطنين، وتضمين توصيات الدراسة في إطار العمل على تنفيذ الخطة الوطنية للقرار الأممي 1325 لغرض المتابعة والتنفيذ، ومنح خصوصية للمناطق المستهدفة ضمن الدراسة بالحماية والخدمات ورفع معاناة والتحديات اليومية للمراة الفلسطينية تحت الاحتلال وفي المناطق الفلسطينية المهددة بالمصادرة والضم وتهجير السكان من اراضيهم.
الاستعراض
وكان د. نادر سعيد وطاقم مركز العالم العربي للبحوث والتنمية – أوراد - الجهة المعدة للدراسة استعرض خلال الجلسة أبرز ما تضمنته الدراسة، والتي وقفت على التطورات السياسية ذات العلاقة بمنهجية الاحتلال الإسرائيلي في التوسع والضم ومحاولات الاستيلاء على المزيد من الأراضي الفلسطينية، وسط استمرار الاحتلال بخرق الاتفاقيات الدولية، وعدم الالتزام بالقوانين ومواثيق حقوق الإنسان، وزيادة انتهاكاته بحق الشعب الفلسطيني عامة، والنساء والأطفال خاصة، ما انعكس بشكل سلبي على النساء ووصولهن للموارد وقلل من القدرة على الحركة والاختيار.
وبينت الدراسة أن النساء في كافة المناطق التي تشهد سيطرة أو تماساً مع جنود الاحتلال الإسرائيلي أو المستوطنين، خاصة في المناطق التي تهدد الحكومة الإسرائيلية بضمها إليها، يعانين من غياب للفرص الاقتصادية والتعليمية والسياسية والرفاهية، فيما سجلت خلال الفترة الماضية من جائحة كورونا زيادة مقلقة في العنف الممارس سواء من الاحتلال الإسرائيلي أو المستوطنين على الفلسطينيين. كما شهدت هذه الفترة أيضاً ازدياداً في الاعتقالات المسجلة رغم انتشار فايروس كورونا، وإعلان حالة الطوارئ.
ولفتت الدراسة، إلى أن الإغلاقات المفروضة والحواجز الإسرائيلية المقامة والتقليص لعمليات التحويل الطبي للمشافي في القدس وضعت النساء الحوامل والأمهات الحديثات في خطر، وهذه القيود ازدادت خلال فترة الطوارئ بحجج أمنية في غالبها، ما أثر بشكل كبير على قدرة السكان على التنقل والوصول إلى المرافق الصحية والتعليمية وأماكن العمل، والحصول على الخدمات والمساعدات الإنسانية، إضافة إلى عدم قدرة بعض أصحاب الأراضي الواقعة خلف الجدار أو قرب المستوطنات من الحصول على تصاريح لهم ولعمالهم أو استمرار إغلاق البوابات ومنع دخول حملة التصاريح، ما أثر بشكل سلبي على إنتاجهم وبالتالي مصدر رزقهم، بسبب التدابير الجديدة التي اتخذتها سلطات الاحتلال بسبب انتشار فايروس كورونا. كما تزامن إعلان حالة الطوارئ مع الحديث عن ضم بعض مناطق الضفة الغربية لإسرائيل، وهي ذات الفترة التي سجل فيها أعلى متوسط لمعدل عمليات الهدم خلال السنوات الأربع الماضية. كما أن الاستهداف تجاوز المسكن ليطال منشآت المياه والنظافة الصحية والصرف الصحي، والمباني الزراعية وغيرها، مما أثر على قدرة الفلسطينيين على الوصول لهذه الخدمات.
النتائج
وخلصت الدراسة إلى مجموعة من النتائج من أبرزها: تعرض 99.6% من النساء المشاركات في الدراسة (245 امراة عينة الدراسة) لاعتداء أو منع أو انتهاك أو تضييق من قوات الاحتلال أو المستوطنين خلال فترة الطوارئ، وازدياد وتيرة انتهاكات الاحتلال واعتداءات المستوطنين بالنسبة ل69% من النساء. في حين أن 81% من النساء تعرضن لتقييد الحركة للوصول للخدمات الاساسية، و74% من النساء في الأغوار تعرضن لاعتداء على الممتلكات، بينما اعتبرت 95% من النساء أن الانتهاكات تجعلهن أكثر عرضة لمخاطر الإجهاض، و 89% صرحن أن إغلاق مناطقهن أثر سلباً على قدرتهن على الوصول إلى العيادة أو المشفى لتلقي العلاج، بينما صرحت 84% من النساء أن الإغلاقات وانتهاكات الاحتلال أثرت سلباً على قدرة طواقم الطب الوقائي ووزارة الصحة على التواجد في مناطق سكنهن. فيما أثرت انتهاكات الاحتلال سلبا على مصادر الرزق الخاصة بواقع 93 % من النساء وأسرهن. وأدت إغلاقات المنطقة من قبل الاحتلال إلى التأثير سلبا على قدرة 91% من النساء على توفير ما يكفي من أموال.
التوصيات
في حين، أبرزت الدراسة مجموعة من التوصيات، من أهمها: ضرورة بلورة تدخلات واضحة تشترك فيها الأطراف الرسمية والدولية والاهلية من أجل إيجاد سبل لدعم هذه الفئات وتعزيز بقائها في أرضها في ظل الانتهاكات الإسرائيلية واعتداءات المستوطنين، العمل على استمرار توثيق الانتهاكات التي تتعرض لها النساء الفلسطينيات من الاحتلال والمستوطنين في كافة المناطق، والمطالبة بزيادة الجهود المبذولة من أجل مواءمة قرار مجلس الامن 1325 مع الواقع الفلسطيني، ومحاسبة الاحتلال الاسرائيلي على الانتهاكات الواقعة على النساء في فلسطين.
تأتي هذه الجلسة في إطار تدخلات "مفتاح" لدعم جهود تنفيذ اجندة الرماة السلام والامن وفي فلسطين ومن خلال مشروع "تعزيز مشاركة النساء في بناء السلم والأمن" الذي تنفذّه "مفتاح" بدعم من مؤسسة اوكسفام، ضمن جهودها في الدفع باتجاه تعزيز تنفيذ أجندة المرأة السلام والأمن في فلسطين.
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.
