YWCA OF PALESTINE:
CRITICAL PRESENCE:
RESPONDING TO NEEDS UNDER ISRAELI OCCUPATION
Presentation for the Global Ministries Board Meeting
Indianapolis
April 2011
FROM 1948 TO 1995 AND BEYOND
Population and Distribution

In 2010, the total Palestinian population worldwide has
been estimated to be 10.9 million

Living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WB/GS) is 4.3
million
(2.5 in WB and 1.8 in Gaza), 44.5% of which are refugees

The projected Palestinian population in WB/GS is estimated
to be
5.1 million in 2015; Annual growth is 2.6%

Christians Constitute 1.37% of the total population (Passia
2011)

The population density in Gaza is 4,206 per sq. Km; the
highest in the world, and 444 in WB (Passia 2011)
The Palestinian Refugees:
An Unsettled Dilemma

Palestinians became refugees as the result of two wars
between Israel and Palestine/Arab States:
 Al Naqba of 1948
 Al Naksa of 1967

In 1948, 726,000 Palestinian became refugees, and over 1
million were displaced in the WB/GS after the 1967 war.
(PLO Negotiations Affairs Department, Fact Sheet on Palestinian Refugees, May 2003)

Today, the Palestinian refugee population is estimated at
7.1 million (67% of the total Palestinian population
worldwide)

Presently, more than 50% of Palestinians live in the
Diaspora, and Israel continues to deny them their “Right of
Return”
Source: PASSIA, The Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs- Jerusalem- Al Quds, 2006
Source: itISapartheid.org
Israeli Official Policy and Practices:
“Land without the People”

Before the 1948 War, Palestinians owned 87.5% of the total area
of Palestine.

After the 1948 war, the West Bank became part of Jordan, and
Gaza part of Egypt.

Since 1967, the Israeli Occupation expropriated 79% of WBGS
territory
(44% for military use, 20% for security reasons, 12% for public
use)

Presently, over 85% of the Palestinian Land is still under the
Control of Israel: there are 145 settlements in WBGS, incl. 26 in
East Jerusalem

In 2011, settlers in West Bank and Gaza are estimated to be
517,774
Home Demolitions for Palestinians:

There are three types of demolitions practiced in
WB/GS:
 Punitive
 Administrative (lack of housing permits)
 Land clearing operations/military demolitions

Since 1967, 24,145 Palestinian houses have been
demolished in WB/GS
(ICAHD: Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions)
Home Demolitions for Palestinian families
are particularly devastating for women and children;
physically, emotionally and psychologically
After Oslo: Fragmentation of West
Bank/Gaza:

Area A: Full Palestinian Control (2% of WBGS)

Area B: Palestinian Civil and Israeli security control
(26%)

Area C: Full Israeli control (72%), which holds 63% of
Agricultural Land
This zoning limits the possibility of construction and
expansion as well as denies citizens access for
services
The Administrative Dimension:

Permits are required for people to move from the
West Bank to East Jerusalem, and across West
Bank cities and villages

Palestinians should acquire permits to move
outside of their municipal boundaries

All WB/GS citizens cannot access East Jerusalem,
cannot drive on bypass roads, or cross entry
terminals to East Jerusalem by car.
A “normal” day in Palestine that depicts mobility restrictions.
Photo Courtesy by Photographer Ahmad Daghlas
Dimensions of Mobility Restrictions:
The Physical Dimension:



The Separation Wall, checkpoints, roadblocks, trenches,
earth mounds, barriers and bypass roads.
There are 62 permanent checkpoints dividing the WB.
In 2008, physical obstacles were estimated at 600
(Source: World Bank- permanent checkpoints and barriers)

8% of West Bank land is estimated to have been
expropriated for construction of bypass roads (for settlers).
Palestinians living in the West Bank cannot use these roads.

In 2010, $2.4 billion was injected in foreign Aid for Palestine,
but due to closures and restrictions, impact on economic
growth is marginal
THE SEPARATION WALL
Mobility Restrictions: The Separation Wall
Basic Facts:
 Construction began in June 2002 by
the Israeli Government

Total expected length of the Wall is
725 km long built across entire the
West Bank (90 km is in Jerusalem)

The Wall has about 60 gates; twothirds built exclusively for settlers

12 official gates in Jerusalem, only 4
are open to Palestinians. The rest are
for Israeli settlers

Palestinians must obtain permits to
pass through gates
IMPLICATIONS ON ECONOMY AND LIVELIHOODS

In 2000, poverty in Gaza was estimated at 33%, increasing
to 52% in 2008. If remittances and food aid are deducted,
then poverty will soar to 79% in GS and 46% in WB

Unemployment in WB has risen from 11.5% in 1998 to 19%
in 2008, and from 20.9% in Gaza to 40.6% for the same
years

Female labor force participation in WB/GS is 16%, amongst
the lowest in the world: employment opportunities are
restricted to a narrow range of fields: stereotyping of
women labor (1)
(World Bank Report: Checkpoints and Barriers:
Searching for Livelihoods in WB/GS – Gender Dimensions of Economic Collapse, 2009/2010)
(Gender based-violence in Palestinian Territory- Case Study- UNFPA- 2005)
IMPLICATIONS ON EDUCATION
•
•
•
•
•
Students’ and teachers’ movement has become
difficult, exhausting and energy draining
West Bank teachers cannot teach in Jerusalem,
putting pressure on teachers to work in more
than one school (affecting quality of education)
Due to deficit in PA budget, investments in
education are decreasing
Children are forced to pass through the Wall’s
gates and face all kinds of physical harassment
A big number of girls drop out especially in
secondary education because they have to cross
checkpoints or go to city and feel at risk.
(Education under Occupation by UNESCO (PWR&DC)
IMPLICATIONS ON WOMEN’S SAFETY

The apparatus of movement
restrictions is not gender
blind, but it affects men and
women in different ways.

Women have been more
vulnerable on checkpoints:
uncertainty of safe passage,
possibility of delays, and
threat of intrusive body
searches and detainment
End Result:
 Women are afraid to cross
checkpoints
 Women are subjected to
violence and abuse.
IMPLICATIONS ON WOMEN’S SAFETY

While men are direct recipients of
violence, women have to bear with its
indirect costs: shouldering the family,
running the household in men’s
absence and working as a
breadwinner. Many are not prepared
for that role.

During siege, closures, high levels of
unemployment, poverty and isolation,
there is more outward expressions of
anger, with women and children being
the most common targets and victims
End result:

Domestic Violence against women and
children increasing
 Feeling of Humiliation and indignation
 Access to services is diminishing
Militarization and Women’s Safety
Study Sponsored by YWCA
Military Occupation, Trauma
and the Violence of Exclusion:
Trapped Bodies and Lives
By Dr. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian
One woman says:
“I have no passport, I exist nowhere, the world
does not recognize my nationality, I am
unable to travel or move freely, wherever I go I
need a permit or travel document from the
Occupying Forces, I have no health insurance,
if I get sick I cannot even afford to go to
hospital, I wish I will die, and when I do, no
one will miss me, we are like insects, human
insects.”
Another woman who lives in the Old City of
Jerusalem said:
“I hate living in the Old city, when I come back
home at night, the soldiers always search me
at Damascus gate, and check my address, I
feel like I am in an airport, they always make
fun of me, and once the women soldiers
wanted to do a body search in the street, and
when I refused to take off my clothes they
kept me standing in the cold for hours. I am
always afraid because there are no lights in
the street and they can do anything …, how
can I feel safe out of home”
WOMEN’S SOCIAL SPACE
AND ACCESS TO SERVICES

Society at large, neighborhoods, and families have been
fragmented with the construction of the Wall and barriers

Women are losing their social networks and family support

Women are unable to access educational facilities and
places of work

38% of Palestinian mothers reported increased difficulties in
gaining access to health services

Since the second uprising (Intifada), more than 69
Palestinian women gave birth at checkpoints, due to delays
or prohibition on travel to medical facilities (many stillborns)
YWCA of Palestine:
Our Response to the Situation
Women’s groups under the name of YWCA
started as early as 1893
Officially, the YWCA was founded in Jerusalem
in 1918
In Love We Serve One Another
Our Motto : “Let Us Keep Hope Alive”
We stand for:
Y: the young and the youth, and our
mission is to give them hope
W: is for the women, who are our
constituency, and is who we are
C: is for our Christian identity, values and
ethos
A: we are a membership based association
of women
YWCA on the
Map

National Office- Jerusalem

Associations: Jerusalem,
Ramallah &Jericho

Refugee Camp Centers:
Jalazoune/Ramallah Aqabet
Jaber/Jericho
Identity and Profile
The YWCA of Palestine derives its values from
its Christian basis. It is :
A
member in ECOSOC (UN)
A
membership-based Christian / women
organization: have 300 local members
registered
locally as a non-governmental
non-profit association (In Israel and
Palestine)
affiliated
with the World YWCA movement
(which operates in 125 countries)
has
over 25 million members globally
The Vision of the YWCA
 The
YWCA of Palestine envisions an
independent and free Palestinian
democratic state
 Works
for: justice, peace, tolerance,
equality, respect for the rights and dignity of
human beings, gender equity,
 Promotes:
women’s leadership
The YWCA of Palestine…
supports and aspires to create women leadership
especially among young Christian women and girls,
to realize their full rights and capabilities, and
promotes full participation of women in decision-making
on equal footing with men in all aspects of life,
represents the aspirations of the most excluded women
so we can build a democratic and free civil society that
nurtures equality, diversity and respect to all
Governance Body- YWCA of Palestine
National General Assembly
(27)
Committees (constitution)
Elections, Fundraising,
Advocacy, internal audit)
National Board
12 members: 3 Jerusalem YWCA
3 Ramallah YWCA , 3 Jericho YWCA,
1 President of National Board, 2 Vice
Presidents, National General Secretary
(ex-officio)
Local
Board
Local
Board
Local
Board
Ramallah
Jerusalem
Jericho
(7-9)
YWCA of
Ramallah
4/8/2015
(7-9)
YWCA of
Jerusalem
(7-9)
YWCA of
Jericho
28
Physical Presence
 Three
Local Associations: Jerusalem,
Ramallah, Jericho
 One National Association: made up of
local associations
 One mission, vision and strategic plan
 Each association has its own programs
 YWCA also operates two refugee Camp
Community Centers: Aqbet Jaber near
Jericho, and Jalazoune near Ramallah
YWCA of Palestine: Local Programs
The YWCA major services:







Offers Vocational and Skills Training Education for
women
Offer Psychological counseling for women, especially
traumatized women
Offer employment opportunities in production projects in
Jericho and Jalazoune refugee camp
Promote awareness campaigns on women’s rights in all
its localities
Offer leadership training for young women and men, as
well as opportunities for international exchanges and
internships in/with YWCA’s globally
Run two Kindergartens, educational and play centers in
refugee camps
Offer youth and children summer camps
OUR STRATEGIC
OBJECTIVES
 1.
Economic Empowerment of
Women
 2. Raising Awareness on rights and
issues
 3. Leadership Training and Civic
Engagement for Youth
 4. Cognitive learning for Children
YWCA’s Program Thematic Areas
1. Women’s Economic Development
• Vocational training programs
• Employment generation porgrams
2. Promoting Women and Gender Rights
• Training for Women on their economic,
social and economic and health rights, incl.
reproductive rights (HIV Education)
•Join coalitions that work on violence
against women (incl. honor killings)
•3. Youth Leadership Training and Civic
Engagement
Training Workshops
Voluntary Camps
Youth International Exchanges
4. Children Education and Cognitive Learning
Preschools in Refugee Camps
Children After school centers and play centers
Keeping Hope Alive
Advocacy for Peace with Justice:
On the Local level
The YWCA seeks to promote awareness and
educate the global movement, churches,
international communities on the situation in
Palestine, especially on and how it affects women
and children.
To do so, YWCA:
-
-
-
Conducts research on militarization, violence and women
Issues Position Papers, Action Alerts
Creates global solidarity for Peace with Justice in Palestine
with global partners
Organizes witness visits, advocacy visits, speaking tours
for Palestinian women
Works with other Christian organizations to support
Christian presence and witness
YWCA’s Global Response to the Situation

World YWCA Council Meeting in Nairobi in 2007 renewed
its commitment to Peace and Justice: issued a Resolution
calling for “Peace, Security and Dignity for Women” in the
Middle East”

The members also endorsed the Action Plan for the
Resolution which calls for:
a. Educating membership on the situation of women in
Palestine and the Middle East
b. Supporting YWCA Programs in the region, including
direct services, counseling, and education
c. Implementation of UN SR 1325 (which calls for women’s
Involvement in eh peace process)


World YWCA established the Peace with Justice Task Force
External Challenges for the YWCA

The Israeli Occupation and all its implications:




Compliance to Israeli tax regulations but no benefits
Mobility restriction of staff and volunteers and limited
access to sites
Economic deterioration, increasing poverty and
unemployment and continued pressure to do more
Communities’ inability to cover cost of services

Sustaining the Christian Basis of the Organization in
light of a shrinking Christian presence

Sustaining the spirit of voluntarism and giving in
times of hopelessness
4/8/2015
39
External Challenges for the YWCA
 Staying
responsive in a situation of conflict
 Sustaining itself as a youth movement
when the young are not interested or
attracted
 Being able to promote its Christian values
through service and critical presence
 Shrinking financial resources because of
donor’s policies in Palestine
AS CHRISTIAN WOMEN… OUR MISSION IS TO
KEEP HOPE ALIVE