Palestinian women speak
“Palestinian Women Speak”, March 2006
Women in Sheffield presented a series of inspiring events marking International Women’s Day, on March 4th 2006.
This event was a first for Sheffield - during the course of the day over 200 women (from many different walks of life and interests) participated in events in support of Palestinian women in the true spirit of International Women’s Day.
During the day on March 4th almost 70 women gathered for a day-long conference to hear Dr Mona El Farra and Randa Alami speak and to take part in workshops to discuss solidarity work. Dr El Farra, representing the Union of Health Work Committees, and member of the board of directors of the Red Crescent Society of Gaza, spoke movingly of her experiences of living under Israeli occupation in Gaza. She read from diaries she kept during the early months of the Intifada outlining the ever present fear of Israeli attack, and daily humiliations suffered by the Palestinian people under occupation.
Speaking about the recent electoral success of Hamas, Dr El Farra’s analysis was that women had voted for Hamas more because of their frustration with the lack of progress towards a just peace, and the corruption within the Palestine Authority, than for their support for an Islamic state. She acknowledged some concern about the impact of Hamas’s victory on the social status women and families. Although Hamas has stated that it is not their present intention to tackle the social agenda, Dr el Farra urged supporters to be aware of the potential implications of Hamas’s power, particularly for women.
‘My message to all women on International Women’s Day is that we are strong and should stay strong together, and with continual organised work in different fields we can make the real changes that we aim to achieve for a better future.’
Randa Alami spoke of the 11 year ordeal endured by her twin sister Samar, who was wrongly convicted of conspiracy to bomb the Israeli embassy. Her appeals have been turned down despite revelations from David Shayler which exonerated Samar and her co-defendant Jawad Botmeh. Their appeals against conviction were hampered by the extraordinary secrecy surrounding the case in which they themselves have not even been informed of the full extent of the alleged “evidence” against them, for reasons of “national security”.
Samar and Jawad still languish in British prisons in spite of a long campaign for their release. They are both coming up for parole shortly, although concern was expressed that the political climate following the July 7th bombings in London will deny them a fair outcome. At the conference, a letter to the Home Secretary Charles Clarke was written pleading for a fair parole hearing for Samar. It was ratified overwhelmingly by the conference participants, with over 90 signatures collected on the day and in the evening.
There were a number of workshops throughout the day which focussed on solidarity and practical campaigning for women in Palestine, with many examples of how people can show practical support. For example: Judith Green of the Quaker ecumenical accompaniment programme reported back on her experience of living in a West Bank village under occupation; a group of women from Sheffield and from the International Women’s Peace Service reported on their recent participation in an International Women’s Peace Conference in Palestine, in which they took part in local protests against occupation.
Campaigning work in the UK was highlighted in a workshop lead by Diane Langford of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, in which there was information and discussion around the growing movement to boycott Israeli goods, and the Stop the Wall campaign.
In the evening, singing, dancing and food were enjoyed by almost 200 women supporters of Palestinian human rights from around the city. The women’s singing group “Body of Sound” delivered a rousing performance, and women were treated to a lesson in traditional Palestinian “dabka” dancing. The organisers were inundated with messages of congratulations, not least from some of the Muslim and Arab women who participated in the social evening, and requested that more such evenings should be organised on a regular basis.
Many women were inspired by the event and what they learned from the day, and resolved to continue the initiative into the future. An immediate expression of this was the letter of protest to the Home Secretary; and on March 8th, a huge banner declaring ‘Free Palestine – International Women’s Day’ was held up outside City Hall, receiving approving smiles from passers by, and a photo in the Sheffield Star.
The day has kick-started something within a growing movement of women keen to add their voices to the call for an end to the occupation and a just peace for Palestine. It has also rejuvenated an awareness of how women working together can give valuable and effective support to those facing oppression within the Palestinian struggle.
Some women involved in the conference have continued to meet, and have agreed to donate funds raised during the event to solidarity activities, including £100 donation to the campaign in the UK to free Samar and Jawad, with the remaining funds (approximately £1,500) to go to launch the Palestinina Women's Scholarship Fund. When asked what was the most important thing, after Israeli withdrawal, to contribute to the liberation of women in the occupied territories, Mona el Farra replied “Education is the most important thing. With education even a poor woman can pursue a career and obtain economic independence. With 2,000 dollars we can help up to 200 girls from poor families to finish high school, or 600 dollars a year will pay the university fees for a young woman who wants to continue her education and train for a profession. Poor families in Gaza cannot afford this without outside help”.
Future events are planned to continue the fund-raising/ educational initiatives.
The event was funded and supported by:
Lipman Miliband Trust
Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust
Sheffield Women’s Forum
Sheffield Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Individual donations and fundraising activities of local women