„There will be no sustainable economical development without a political solution and an end of the occupation in the Palestinian Territories”. All speakers of the conference agreed on this disillusion conclusion of Sara Roy (Harvard University). Although billions of foreign aid had been brought to the Westbank and Gaza during the last decades the economic and social situation today in the Occupied Palestinian Territories has become worse than ever. It was stated on the conference that the donors with their donor politics had become a part of the problem rather than a part of the solution. The foreign aid has helped to prolong the Israeli occupation of the territories.
As Maha Abu-Dhayyeh Shammas (Women’s Center for Legal Aid and Counseling) pointed out: With the creation of the Palestinian Authority (PA) during the Oslo process the Israeli responsibility for the Palestinian people has been transferred to the PA. She also stated that the foreign money is used for the militarization of the territories, with weapons coming from Israel. This situation has a special influence on Palestinian women; they need protection which they do not get from the PA, as Palestine is not a functional state, where women can claim their rights.
As the UN-Resolution 1325 addresses the special needs of women in conflict situations, the conference asked how the resolution works in reality of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Siham Bargouthi (Association of Women's Action in Palestine) explained that within the last years lot of programs had been invented in the name of Resolution 1325 to support women’s organizations and to empower women for leading positions. But after the Hamas victory in the elections the donors stopped their support, due to the boycott of Hamas. International help was used as a tool for punishment.
The UN-Resolution 1325 asks for women involvement in conflict resolution therefore also Israeli women’s peace groups are supported. Gila Svirsky (Women for a Just Peace) referred to the tactics and problems Israeli women peace activists are facing in their struggle for a just peace.
The conference was completed by Ghada Hashem Talhami (Lake Forest College) with an enthusiastic speech about struggle of the Palestinian women’s movement under occupation.
Documentation of the conference: http://dp.vidc.org/index.php?id=161
Information provided by Magda Seewald, VIDC
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