Impressions of Jerusalem

An important part of our trip to Jerusalem was getting there. Because of the wall, although the Mount of Olives is almost next door, a journey that should be 15 minutes is at least 2 hours – and we went when there was no queue! There's the drive to the 'international terminal' to cross the wall first, where we had to say goodbye to our Abu Dis friends – they can't go through unless they get special permission. Our host told us of the one time recently when his family did get permission (through an Eid lottery). Husbands, wives and children had to queue separately, and the youngest children were so traumatised, separated from their parents, waiting to meet the scary soldiers, that in the end they gave up. The impact of the wall and the checkpoints in terms of family separation and access to emergency care is enormous, but I think this video of people waiting to get through a checkpoint simply to go to work is pretty powerful.

After saying au revoir to our friends we went through the 'terminal', which reminded me of the set up back home for getting sheep and cattle into trucks before they go to the abattoir. Though there was no-one much going through (it was nearly lunchtime), we waited and waited for a red light to go green, and two people could start the process, and then again, and two more etc. Once all out the other side we caught a bus to Damascus Gate, basically coming back the way we'd driven in the morning, but the other way.

View from Damascus Gate

Damascus Gate

A new profession - scarf carrier!

In Jerusalem, the impression of the old city is of a spectacularly beautiful city, a little similar to old, old towns on the Med, and wonderful to walk around because traffic only operates outside the walled city (except the cleaning vehicles – see pic below). The atmosphere is incredibly tense though – there are Israeli soldiers on nearly every street, and settlers wander around, some of them armed also, we thought. Settled buildings are draped with Israeli flags, to show off the settlers' triumph. Palestinians walk hunched and without the smiles we had been greeted with elsewhere.

A shopper keeping out of the rain.

A T-shirt to suit any taste available here!

We visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and saw the Via Dolorosa, Armenian Church, Ottoman era school, the view of the Dome of the Rock. A couple of us chose not to visit the Wailing Wall, as the number of cadet soldiers almost filling the plaza was so chilling.

But, the most important place we went to was the amazing Al Saraya Centre, where we heard about the kind of activities that they do to build up the resilience, especially of children who are subjected to settler attacks and harassment. We were all so impressed with the Centre's range of activities and the quality of support they offer. Read more in this Medical Aid for Palestinians article.

So another day of mixed feelings – the stark evidence of oppression so disturbing, and the dignity of those trying to survive and overcome it so inspiring.

For Palestinian Women: Happy Strong, Courageous, and Bright Women's Day

Today is internaitonal women's day and I want to take this chance to give my gratidude for every Palestinian woman. While international women's day is widely celebrated, Palestinian women are mourning today. A 50 year old woman was brutally killed by the Israeli Army in the old city of Jerusalem this morning. The Israeli government was always clear about their merciless attitude towards Palestinian women. The Israeli minister of justice, Ayelet Shaked was very forward when she called for the genocide of Palestinian women and mothers.

Women in Palestine have to go through all kinds of opression. They are not only carrying the burdens of male-dominated societies, they carry the heavy burden of the occupation that deprives many mothers from their children, many girl from their fathers, and many women from their own natural self discoveries as humans and as women.

However, Palestinian women have always been the backbone for they are the ones who always stood their ground. They have grown in the frames of occupation and managed to be successful, bright and strong. Palestinian teachers like Hanan al-Hroub who was nominated for the top 10-finalists for the Steve Hawking prize this year. Women like Samiha Khalil, who was a great political figure in the Palestinian history and managed to create association for girls deprived of families are the ones who give us hope as women every day. Our thank yous go to our mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters, wives, and ourselves.

Join us in CADFA on the 13th of March for a great joint women event.

Palestinian women in the International Women's day ...!

On the occasion of International  Women's Day March 8: 67 arrested since the occupation 15 thousand women and ten prisoners have given birth within the prison, such as Lena Jerboni .





Authority Prisoners Affairs issued a report on the occasion of the eighth of March, International Women's Day which stated that the number of Palestinian prisoners woman in the prisons of Hasharon and Damon reached 57 Palestinian female dispensers: 33 captive in Hasharon Prison and 24 captive in the Damon prison.

The report of the Commission that 13 captive minor (less than 18 years), detention in prisons, the youngest captive Dima Wawi 12-year-old detainee population of Halhul on 02/08/2016,





In addition to minors : Sajida Hassan, Nevin Jabari, Rama Djaabis, mlak Suleiman, Kariman Sowaidan, Aestbrq Noor, Nourhanne Awad, lma Bakri, marah Bakir, hadia Ibrahim, Mannar Shweiki and Ceyhan Taqatqa.The report pointed out that the nine female prisoners are infected dead by Israeli soldiers when they were arrested weakness: lma Bakri, Nourhanne Awad, Aestbrq Noor, Jasmine Zaru, Esra Djaabis, Amal Taqatqa, Abla nothingness, Helwa Hamamrah, Shorooq Dwayyat.And that two girls prisoners in administrative detention, namely: Sana Abu Sunaina Goblet names,and two presoners from gaza.There are nine mothers in the ranks of the prisoners are sublime Mhaherh, Helwa Hamamrah, Haifa Abu Sabih, Nasreen Hassan, Eman Cango, Temara Abu Sabha, Amira Hamidat and Amira Salah.The Commission reported that since 1967 amounted to cases of Palestinian women detained 15 thousand cases, and that 10 prisoners have given birth to their babies inside Israeli jails.The oldest Palestinian prisoners Lena Jerboni who spent 14 years in Israeli jails that our demand  for freedom and justice and the demise of the occupation of our lives and meeting the aspirations of the Palestinian people to live in free and independent state,and she called to attention to the women prisoners at all levels.For its part, it sent the MP captive Khalida Jarrar from Hasharon Prison where they sit there is a message to the Palestinian people and the world, on the occasion of International Women's Day, quoted by the Commission's lawyer Hanan Al-Khatib ,said the letter:Greetings to all women of the world in the International Women's Day which falls on 8-3 every year and greet each free world and free Palestine.

On this day , a palestinian woman killed  in Jerusalem's Old City, Where the forces of the Israeli army opened fire on Ms. Fadwa Ahmed Mohammed Abu Tir, 50, from the town of Umm Tuba, in Wad Street in Jerusalem old, and was seriously injured, and after that was prevented from providing primary her aid, she was transferred to an Israeli hospital it has been announced her martyrdom.

Look out for the CADFA women's stall every Saturday at the Brunswick Centre!

Every Saturday you will find our stall in the Brunswick Centre in Central London, selling Palestinian pottery, olive oil and embroidery.

A great place to find presents for your friends, friendly faces and people to talk about Palestine and women's links work.

We hope (if you are in London) you will come along, or even better that you'll offer to help!

The status of women in Palestine

This post was put on the blog twinninginaction.blogspot.co.uk (the blog from the CADFA Twinning in Action project) but it seems very relevant to this women's blog so we have copied it here...

واقع المرأة في فلسطين

لا يمكن رؤية وضع المرأة الفلسطينية ومدى مشاركتها في الحياة السياسية والعامة ، وفي مواقع صنع القرار وتقلد المناصب العامة، إلا من خلال الغوص عميقا في الظروف المجتمعية التي تحيط بها ، ما يحتم ضرورة إلقاء الضوء على واقعها المجتمعي، باعتباره عاملا مهما في تحديد ورسم ملامح هويتها .  والمجتمع الفلسطيني لا يختلف كثيرا عن المجتمعات العربية الأخرى من حيث الموروث الثقافي والبنية الاجتماعية والاقتصادية ، إلا أن الأمر لا يخلو من بعض الخصوصية، إذ لا يمكن مقارنة وضع مجتمع يعيش حالة من الاستقرار (ولو بالمعنى النسبي في المجالات السياسية والاقتصادية والاجتماعية)، بمجتمع مناضل يسعى بكل أفراده للخلاص من الاحتلال ونيل الحرية، فسلك العديد من السبل في شتى ميادين الحياة، وفي شتى ميادين النضال، فصقلته إنسانا متميزا بعقله وتفكيره وأساليبه؛ إذ إن سمو الهدف أملى عليه هذا التميز، فانصرف عن العديد من اهتمامات الشعوب، واقتصر توجهه على تحقيق هدف مقدس، كي يضمن مستقبلا آمنا وحياة كريمة دائمة لأبنائه. وقد عانت المرأة الفلسطينية التي تشكل نصف المجتمع الفلسطيني (49.5٪) من اضطهاد مزدوج: قومي بسبب الاحتلال الإسرائيلي، وجنسي موروث من التقاليد العربية، يقوم على التمييز بين الجنسين، إلا أن ذلك لم يمنعها من أن تكون لبنة فاعلة في الحركة الوطنية الفلسطينية ، ما أهلها لتبوء مراكز قيادية في المجتمع الفلسطيني، فأسست جمعياتها ومؤسساتها الخاصة منذ عشرينيات القرن الماضي.

ونتيجة مشاركة المرأة الفلسطينية الرجل في مختلف مراحل النضال ضد الانتداب البريطاني، ثم الاحتلال الإسرائيلي، أخذت المرأة الفلسطينية موقعها في صفوف المقاومة الفلسطينية، فارتقت العديد من النساء الفلسطينيات شهيدات، كما حدث أثناء معركة البراق عام 1929 عندما سقطت 9 شهيدات. وهناك أمثلة عديدة من الفلسطينيات اللواتي ضربن أروع آيات البطولة والفداء، حيث قمن بعمليات استشهادية موقعات بالعدو الصهيوني خسائر فادحة ومن بين هؤلاء النساء دلال المغربي وشهيدات انتفاضة الأقصى، أمثال: "وفاء إدريس، ودارين أبو عيشة، وآيات الأخرس، وعندليب طقاطقة"، وقد بلغ عدد الشهيدات الفلسطينيات في فترة انتفاضة الأقصى 127 شهيدة. كما تعرضت النساء الفلسطينيات إلى الاعتقال، إذ ما يزال نحو 60 أسيرة فلسطينية تقبع في ظلام سجون الاحتلال. ومن أبرز الفلسطينيات اللواتي تعرضن للاعتقال: فاطمة برناوي، التي قضت فترة طويلة رهن الاعتقال قبل أن يفرج عنها، وعايدة سعد، وعطاف عليان. كما تعرضت المرأة الفلسطينية إلى الإبعاد عن مدينتها، كما حدث مع المواطنة انتصار عجوري التي أبعدت من نابلس إلى غزة.

وما زالت المرأة الفلسطينية تقف جنبا إلى جنب مع الرجل الفلسطيني في مواجهة العدوان الإسرائيلي المستمر على شعبنا ، وتتعرض للعديد من الانتهاكات على أيدي جنود الاحتلال، وأبرز هذه الانتهاكات: قتل العديد من النساء، واعتقال العديد منهن، وإعاقة وصول حالات الولادة إلى المستشفيات، ما اضطر العديد منهن إلى الوضع على حواجز الاحتلال، كما تتعرض العديد من النساء إلى عمليات الإجهاض المقصودة ، فدولة الاحتلال ترى في كل مولود عدوا منافسا يجب قتله ؛ هذا عدا ما تتعرض له العديد من النساء والطالبات من الإهانات بالضرب والشتم  لقد خاضت المرأة الفلسطينية غمار الحياة السياسية منذ أواخر القرن التاسع عشر، عندما نظمت المرأة الفلسطينية أول تظاهرة احتجاج ضد الاستيطان اليهودي في فلسطين ، بعد أن أقيمت أول مستوطنة يهودية في منطقة العفولة الفلسطينية ، وكان ذلك عام 1893، ثم أعقبها تشكيل الجمعيات الخيرية التي شكلت الأولى لانطلاقة المرأة الفلسطينية نحو اندماجها في قضايا مجتمعها، لتتبلور بعد ذلك نتيجة الظروف السياسية التي مرت بها البلاد . وفي عام 1929، عقد أول مؤتمر نسائي فلسطيني في القدس انبثقت منه "اللجنة التنفيذية لجمعية السيدات العربيات"، ثم أنشئ في العام نفسه "الاتحاد النسائي العربي" في القدس، وآخر في نابلس .  وفي الفترة 19481967، نشطت العديد من المؤسسات النسائية الخيرية، كدور الأيتام ومراكز رعاية المسنين وغيرها. وفي عام 1965 أسس "الاتحاد العام للمرأة الفلسطينية".

وكانت الانطلاقة الحقيقية في مستوى مشاركة المرأة في الحياة السياسية قد حصلت بعد تشكيل "منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية" في عام 1964، والذي أعقبه تشكيل "الاتحاد العام للمرأة الفلسطينية". وحظيت المرأة الفلسطينية ب "كوته" في المجلس الوطني تراوحت بين 2٪ في 1964 إلى 7.5٪ في دورة المجلس التي عقدها في غزة عام 1996. وساهمت المرأة الفلسطينية بفعالية في الانتفاضة، ولعبت دورا مهما في النشاطات والفعاليات الانتفاضية، وبخاصة في السنوات الأولى للانتفاضة. ومع مرور الوقت، أصبحت المرأة الفلسطينية أفضل حالا من المرأة في كثير من البلدان العربية والإسلامية ، حيث اقتحمت مجال التعليم لدرجة أنها أصبحت تشكل نصف أعداد الطلبة في مختلف المراحل الدراسية. واقتحمت مجال العمل لتشكل جزءا كبيرا من القوى العاملة في المجتمع الفلسطيني ، وأصبحت تتبوأ المناصب القيادية العليا، فمنها: الوزيرة، ومنها عضو البرلمان، ناهيك عن ممارستها للمهن الراقية: كالطب، والهندسة، والمحاماة.

إن  الصراع الإسرائيلي الفلسطيني  قد انعكس سلبيا على حياة المرأة الفلسطينية. أعقاب حرب ففي  النكبة 1948 ، تم تهجير وتشريد الملايين من النساء وغالبيتهم ما زالن لاجئات . إن الإجراءات التي تتخذها قوات الدفاع الإسرائيلي لها تأثيرها على الأمان الجسدي ، والنفسي، والصحي، والتعليمي، والإقتصادي. على الرغم من شح عدد المقاتلات الفلسطينيات، لكنهن يتلقين النصيب الأكبر من الأذى. فعلى سبيل المثال، من النساء عانت  الخوف  الشديد، وفقدان الأمن، ونوبات الغضب وغيرها من الاضطرابات. فخلال  التاريخ  الممتد للحروب من عام 1948 إلى عام 2014، القوات الإسرائيلية وباستهداف قامت وإذلال  النساء  الفلسطينيات ضاربين بعرض الحائط الاتفاقيات الدولية لحقوق الإنسان. و في تقرير  المرصد الأورومتوسطي لحقوق الإنسان  صادر بتاريخ 17 ديسيمبر 2014 بعنوان "جرف الزهور"، يوثق التقرير معاناة النساء الفلسطينيات خلال،  العدوان الإسرائيلي على قطاع غزة عام 2014 . بحسب التقرير، راح 489 امرأة ضحية للعدوان الإسرائيلي عام 2014 أو ما يعرف بعملية الجرف الصامد. و أشار التقرير إلى أن العدوان الأخير خلف 11314  إناث مشردات في  مدارس  الإيواء. ومن منحى قانوني، هذة الممارسات هي فآن انتهاك  للقانون الدولي الإنساني  وبخاصة  اتفاقية جنيف 1949  والبرتوكول الإضافي الملحق باتفاقية جنيف عام 1977. فالمادة (76) من البرتوكول الإضافي الأول ينص على "يجب أن تكون النساء موضع احترام خاص". أما المادة (17) تؤكد على ضرورة نقل النساء النفاس من المناطق المحاصرة . فبالرغم من هذه الاتفاقيات، فآن  إسرائيل  تضربها بعرض الحائط مرتكبة أفظع الانتهاكات ضد الفلسطينين بشكل عام والنساء بشكل خاص.

The status of women in Palestine

Can not see the situation of Palestinian women and their participation in political and public life and in decision-making positions and to hold public office, except through a deep dive into the societal conditions that surround it, which makes it necessary to shed light on the societal reality, as an important factor in determining and shaping its identity . Palestinian society is not much different from other Arab societies in terms of heritage, cultural, social and economic infrastructure, but it is not without some privacy, it can not be compared to the development of a society in a state of stability (albeit a relative sense in the political, economic and social fields), community activist seeks all its members to get rid of the occupation and for freedom, and wire are many ways in various fields of life, and in the various fields of struggle, and make it a human being privileged with his mind and his thinking and methods; depart from many of the concerns of the people, and confined his way to achieve the sacred goal, in order to ensure a secure future and a decent life permanently for his children. Palestinian women, who constitute half of the Palestinian community has suffered (49.5%) of a double persecution: national because of the Israeli occupation, and sex is inherited from the Arab tradition, based on discrimination between the sexes, but that did not stop her from being a brick active in the Palestinian national movement, what its people to assume leadership positions in the Palestinian community, they established their own institutions and their associations since the twenties of the last century.
As a result of the participation of Palestinian women with men in various stages of the struggle against the British Mandate, and then the Israeli occupation, Palestinian women took its place in the ranks of the Palestinian resistance, Vartguet many Palestinian women martyrs, and during the battle of Al-Buraq in 1929 happened when she fell 9 martyrs. There are numerous examples of Palestinian women who have beaten the finest verses of heroism and redemption, where Qmn martyrdom operations positions of the Zionist enemy heavy losses Among these women Dalal Mughrabi and martyrs Al-Aqsa Intifada, such as: "Wafa Idris, and Darin Abu Aisha, and Ayat al-Akhras, the nightingale Taqatqa," has reached the number of Palestinian martyrs in the Al-Aqsa Intifada 127 martyr. Palestinian women are also subjected to detention, as is still about 60 Palestinian prisoner sits in the darkness of the occupation prisons. Among the most prominent Palestinian women who have been arrested: Fatima Barnawi, who spent a long time in detention before being released about them, and Aida Saad, and Attaf Alian. Palestinian women also came to deportation for her city, as happened with the victory of citizenship Ajuri which banished from Nablus to Gaza.
The Palestinian women continue to stand side by side with a Palestinian man in the face of continued Israeli aggression against our people, and are exposed to many violations at the hands of Israeli soldiers, and most of these violations: Many of the women were killed, and the arrest of many of them, and impeding the arrival of deliveries to hospitals, forcing many of them to the situation on the occupation barriers, also exposed many women to abortions, unintended, the State of the occupation sees all born enemy competitor must kill him; not to mention the risks to many women and students of insults beatings and verbal abuse of Palestinian women have fought the midst of political life since the late nineteenth century, when Palestinian women organized the first protest against the Jewish settlement in Palestine, after the first Jewish settlement in the Palestinian Afula area set up, and that was in 1893, and then followed by the formation of charities that first formed for the launch of Palestinian women towards their integration into the society issues , to crystallize after that as a result of political circumstances experienced by the country. In 1929, the first Palestinian to hold women's conference in Jerusalem grew out of it, "the Executive Committee of the Association of Arab women," then established in the same year, "the Arab Women's Union" in Jerusalem, and another in Nablus. In the period 19481967, many women's charities, such as the role of orphans and elderly care centers and other active. In 1965 he founded the "General Union of Palestinian Women."

The real breakthrough in the level of women's participation in political life has got after the formation of "Palestine Liberation Organization" in 1964, which was followed by formation of a "General Union of Palestinian Women." Palestinian women and received a "niche" in the National Assembly ranged from 2% in 1964 to 7.5% in the session of the Council held in Gaza in 1996. Palestinian women effectively and contributed to the uprising, and has played an important role in the activities and events intifada, especially in the early years of the uprising. With the passage of time, Palestinian women are better off than women in many Arab and Islamic countries, where he broke into the field of education to the extent that it has become a half the number of students in different grades. And stormed the field work for a big part of the labor force in the Palestinian society, and became occupy senior leadership positions, the mismatch: Secretary, including a member of parliament, not to mention high-end practice for the professions: medicine, engineering and law.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been reflected negatively on the lives of Palestinian women. In the aftermath of the war the Nakba in 1948, they have been displaced and the displacement of millions of women and mostly what Zaln refugees. The actions taken by the Israeli Defense Forces have an impact on the physical safety, psychological, health, educational, and economic that. Despite the lack of a number of Palestinian fighters, but they receive the largest share of harm. For example, women have suffered extreme fear, loss of security, tantrums and other disorders. During the protracted wars from 1948 to 2014 date, Israeli forces have targeted and humiliate Palestinian women despising the international human rights conventions. And the report of the Euro-Mediterranean Observatory for Human Rights, issued on 17 Desimbr 2014 entitled "cliff flowers", the report documents the suffering of Palestinian women during the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip in 2014. According to the report, the woman claimed the 489 victims of the Israeli aggression in 2014, or what is known as the process of shelf steadfast. The report pointed out that the recent aggression behind 11314 female homeless shelter in schools. It is a legal turn, these practices are a violation of international humanitarian law and in particular the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Convention of 1977. Article 76 of the First Additional Protocol stipulates that "women must be the object of special respect." Article (17) emphasizes the need for the transfer of maternity cases from besieged areas. Despite these agreements, Israel hit the wall, the most egregious violations committed against Palestinians in general and women in particular.

Resilience and admiration, overview from one of the Women's Links participants

Reflections on my first visit to Palestine at the beginning of February.

Two words, the first word: resilience!

I have been so impressed with the cheerfulness, especially of young people – that Occupation colours every aspect of life is something hard to see for a few days, let alone live, with no let-up. So, if I can choose a second word it would be: admiration, because of the admiration I feel for the dignity and good humour that I have experienced.

Some days were truly beautiful, and it was possible in very special moments to forget that at any time it might be possible to be trapped by a road-block, or stopped by soldiers who might or might not arbitrarily take friends away. If you don't know about Israel's use of administrative detention you should check out this article from Amnesty (from a while back, but makes the link with the fact that Israel is using the excuse of laws established under the British mandate), and the current situation of administrative detainees in Etzmion jail.

But, I want to end positively, because my overriding impression was of a beautiful country and a beautiful people, so, a photo:

Laughing in the rain