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‘If we work together we can resist the occupier better’

In Palestine, PAX is working with local partner organisations on the Civil Society for Dignity project.

Image: Gabriela Hengeveld

The aim of this project: to reduce the distance between local Palestinian authorities and Palestinian citizens so that they can better serve them. ‘We have to learn again that we have the right to a dignified life.’

The four women from the various Palestinian partner organisations are busy talking when I visit them at the PAX office. They are Muna Touma of the Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement between People (PCR), Anwar Owaineh of the Middle East Nonviolence and Democracy (MEND) and Ekram Zubeidi and Tala Qudsi of the Palestinian Centre for Peace and Democracy (PCPD). Together they work in the Civil Society for Dignity project, which came into being two years ago. The aim of the project is to restore trust between citizens and local government and to make governments responsive to citizens’ needs. That the four are all women is a coincidence, they laugh. But perhaps that is not entirely true after all.

During the conversation, they all stress the difficult but also important role of women in Palestine. As well as that of young people. While everyone has a hard time in Palestine, this is especially true of young people and women. And when it gets better for them, it gets better for everyone.

Touma: ‘Our starting point is: every person deserves to live a life of dignity. It is very important for each person to be able to assume their role and express their wants and needs, but also to be able to take responsibility in society.’

Not leaving

To start with those young people. Many of them – and especially the educated ones – are moving away from Palestine, Zubeidi says. Qudsi: ‘Young people have no prospects once they graduate. They are used for all kinds of things, such as researching scientists, but when it comes to making decisions, they are ignored.’

Social and other services are few and far between, and many local authorities do not know exactly where the needs are. There is also a lot of distrust towards local authorities, which is not entirely unjustified. After all, that role was initially filled by the Israeli occupation forces. Although that is now no longer the case and municipal and other administrative functions have been taken over by the Palestinians, the distrust has not disappeared. Even more troublesome are the areas where Israel also continues to provide local government, known as Area C.

We have to create the space to participate in discussions ourselves

Zubeidi: ‘There is chaos there and it is difficult to do anything there. Israel is only interested in the country.’
No wonder young people want to leave. Zubeidi: ‘But by leaving you are helping the occupier. Young people need to become part of the local authorities and feel they are part of the community, so they can participate.’

To this end, Zubeidi and Qudsi organise talks with young people and local authorities. They also create campaigns to raise certain issues, such as gender equality and good governance. Zubeidi: ‘Most governments want to, but find it difficult to know exactly what they can do for people and what they are struggling with. And many citizens, in turn, find it difficult to properly advocate for their needs. This is how we try to bridge the gap.’

No toilet

Women run into very different things again. Apart from occupation, their lives are also shaped by ideas about the role of women in society. Touma: ‘For women, it is very complicated. They have much less freedom of movement. For example, they cannot stay somewhere overnight.’ Zubeidi gives a personal example: ‘I’m really not at a loss for words.’ The others laugh. Zubeidi, unruffled: ‘So I am a strong woman, but find it difficult to walk into local authorities. It sometimes takes two hours for your turn and you can’t go to the toilet there. There is nothing that makes it easy for women there. The community is controlled by men.’

Tala nods and adds: ‘The local authorities are the only elected authorities, we don’t have national elected authorities. They represent our choices. As women, we are not always taken seriously by them. Sometimes it is only women who understand what we are struggling with, but just find a woman in the local authorities. Moreover, we have no right to hold governments accountable.’ Zubeidi: ‘We therefore need to create our own space so that women can participate more and more.’

Pie in pieces

One way to do this is to bring the problems of women and young people to the fore. For example, Anwar makes videos together with women in which they portray their own problems. One such video tells a story of a woman who goes to get a cake for her birthday mother on her bike, but along the way is so thwarted and taunted for cycling that the cake arrives in pieces. The video struck a chord. Anwar: ‘A group of women joined hands and are now cycling every day to make it more normal.’
Touma: ‘Many people have lots of ideas on how to solve their own problems. We also try to put them in touch with funds so they can also make sustainable changes.’ Zubeidi nods: ‘In one of the communities, there was no clinic. We offered to pay half the money for it, but it turned out that it was no longer needed. The community had raised the money itself. Those are the initiatives I do it for!’

Touma: ‘The local authorities were also more suspicious towards us at first, but we see change now. So is their attitude towards citizens. They are trying to be more in tune with their needs. Many people have to see for themselves that they actually have a right to a dignified life. Some of us have lost that.’ And, says Anwar: ‘If we do better with ourselves and we work together, we can also resist the occupier much better.’

What are our local partners doing in Palestine?

Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement between People (PCR) has extensive experience in bridging the gap between government and citizens and has a wide network in the West Bank.

Middle East Nonviolence and Democracy (MEND) is an East Jerusalem-based NGO. It focuses on non-violence and tries to instil alternative forms of resistance among young people and adults in Palestine. They often work with the media and schools, for example through video made with civilians.

Palestinian Centre for Peace and Democracy (PCPD) tries to influence the current political situation in Palestine. Together with young people and civil society organisations, they focus on inclusive development and inclusive decision-making.

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