Gaza: The Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development (PWWSD) organized an expanded meeting in Gaza titled “Women’s Participation in Political Life: Reality and Challenges”. Participants called on the political system, CSOs, and political parties to take responsibility for women’s issues, and to highlight women’s national and social roles in the process of advancing the community. There is a need to link national liberation to social liberation issues, and a need to perform a full monetary review of all political parties including their attitudes towards strengthening women’s participation in all aspects of life, and re-examining their social platforms. It is important to have an ongoing dialogue with political parties on developing techniques to advance women’s reality, and focusing attention on the youth to build future leadership, and introduce new blood into political parties with more awareness of national and social issues.
More than 120 young men and women joined the meeting, along with a number of community and women’s organizations and leaders, women from shadow councils in Gaza, representatives of the women’s delegation from the West Bank, and political party leaders. The aim was to pressure political parties and powers to move forward in supporting women based on a national vision combining human rights and national development.
This meeting comes as part of PWWSD’s ongoing efforts to combat discrimination against women and increase their representation in leading positions, as well as deepening and broadening women’s role in political participation on all decision-making levels in the political system, by respecting women’s rights as indivisible human rights.
PWWSD Shadow Council and Elections Project Coordinator, Yaseen Abu-Odeh facilitated the meeting. He welcomed the participants and the faction and institution delegation from the West Bank. Abu-Odeh talked about the importance of women’s participation in decision-making, addressing the difficult situation experienced by our people as a result of political stagnation, military practices, repeated Israeli aggression, ongoing internal division, and the impact of all these factors on Palestinian citizens in general, and women in particular.
General Union of Palestinian Women representative and Fatah Central Committee member, Amal Hamad talked about women’s participation in the election process, and the appeals calling to reject some electoral lists, adding that everyone is waiting for the Supreme Court’s decision to determine the local election date or to cancel the elections altogether. She noted that Fatah will respect any decision made by the Court, adding that elections are a national and democratic right that has been absent in the Gaza Strip for almost 10 years. She emphasized that local elections are the foundation for ending division and a first step towards holding legislative and presidential elections, adding that the law requires factions to involve women, and calling for raising women’s quota. Hamad stated that women pay the consequences of our internal division and the Israeli siege with daily suffering.
Palestinian National Council member, Reema Nazzal highlighted the percentage of female candidates for local council elections. Of 860 electoral lists running in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, 182 lists were selected by acclamation, and women’s representation in lists reached 26%.
Nazzal expressed its dissatisfaction with most factions placing women in the fifth position on their lists, including 54 lists in the Gaza Strip. She brought up the fact that local elections have a unique national spirit, and they should be a path towards ending division.
Palestinian Developmental Women Studies Association Chairperson and PFLP Political Office member, Dr. Maryam Abu-Daqqa talked about the significance of this meeting in demanding that local elections be held as scheduled, adding the need to recognize the importance of women’s participation in decision making and strengthening women’s role and status. She asserted Palestinian women’s success on all local and global levels, adding that youth and women are the most affected groups by the ongoing division.
Sawsan Saleh, from the Palestinian Democratic Union FIDA, expressed her pleasure to be in Gaza, and affirming the existence of a gap in election law regarding women’s participation, status, and order in electoral lists. In addition to gaps in applying the law within political parties and coalitions, calling for holding local elections to prepare for legislative and presidential elections down the line.
Faiza Abu-Heija, from the Palestinian Liberation Front in Ramallah, talked about local elections as a democratic right, noting that there is a major decline in national parties when it comes to electoral lists, and a rise in family biases. She also demanded that all factions and parties take a firm stance to end division.
Sahar Qawasmi, from Roles for Social Change Association ADWAR in Hebron, mentioned the need for active Palestinian mobilizing to end division and establish a unified front against the occupation. Qawasmi added that elections are a national right for all our people, emphasizing the role of political parties in supporting women’s issues and increasing their participation in political life, then expressing her joy to visit Gaza for the first time.
PWWSD Director General, Amal Khreisheh talked about the importance of women’s political participation, and the need for their representation to parallel their countless struggles and sacrifices for national liberation, calling for an end to the exclusion of women from active political participation, rejecting both social and political excuses. She insisted that she rejects the idea of holding elections in the West Bank and not Gaza, as this would only serve to deepen the division of our people.
Khreisheh added that the Declaration of Independence guarantees equality, which we are a long way from reaching, where women would have a truly equal representation of 50%. Political parties signed a Code of Honor to raise women’s representation to a minimum of 30%, a percentage endorsed by the Palestinian Central Council last year. However, parties and factions did not respect this commitment.
Khreisheh called for mobilizing the men and women of our nation to confront the national political and social challenges, demanding protection and support networks for female candidates, following the assaults, threats, and oppression of some female candidates in some locations. She then thanked the participants, calling on them to support the “Patriots for Ending Division” movement.
The meeting then opened the floor for discussion, where attendees mentioned the need to mobilize on the ground and demand holding the elections.
Female candidates for local elections talked about the conflicts and compromises preceding their inclusion in electoral lists, due to their refusal to being placed sixth or seventh on the list, which violates their right to active participation.
Participants recommended selecting candidates based on merit away from family and party biases.
Abu-Odeh emphasized women’s participation in decision making in accordance with the historical and national roles of Palestinian women. He noted that women are essential partners in decision-making, asserting the need to activate that role in all political parties and bodies.
It is noted that this meeting comes as part of the Shadow Council and Elections Project in the Gaza Strip, funded by the Swedish Centre Party International Foundation CIS.