Beyond Politics

When Palestine features in the news in the UK, the majority of the time it is related to the external factors associated with the country; predominantly its occupation by Israel. This produces an understanding that the only problems which Palestine faces, and which need to be resolved, are the problems associated with the occupation. The internal factors which are prohibiting Palestine’s development are rarely touched upon by the Western media and are thus too often pushed to the sidelines of international consciousness. Of course, it is vital that the international community understands the political implications of the occupation, but the social factors which both exist independently of and are sustained by the occupation need to be understood and resolved in parallel to the political discussion.

Though I have always been interested in both women’s rights and Palestine, it wasn’t until I came here that I gained any kind of understanding of how the two are interlinked. This is largely due to international attention towards Palestine being directed away from social issues, and almost entirely focusing on political factors. This is a problem which needs to be addressed, and the international advocacy I've become involved with here has made me realise the need for wider awareness of the Palestinian social context.

Women in Palestine are facing the dual problems of living under occupation, whilst living in a patriarchal societal structure. Under occupation, the lack of a stable political authority has made the existence of government-run social welfare close to impossible. Of the government structure which does exist, the representation of women is minimal, and thus women’s issues are largely sidelined.  These two factors feed into the lack of awareness of women’s rights, which perpetuates and worsens the already fragile status of women’s rights in Palestine.  Additionally, many aspects of the occupation disproportionately affect women, such as the increased militarisation of society feeding into an increase of violence within the home. As for the factors which exist independently of the occupation, the patriarchy has historically and culturally become entrenched in society.  All of these factors contribute to the weak status of women’s rights within Palestinian society.  Working here has deepened my understanding of these issues, as well as affirmed for me the need for non-governmental organisations in Palestine, to both treat the consequences of gender inequality, as well as resolving their root causes. Both national and international recognition and support is vital for these organisations to carry out their important work. For this to become a reality, it is necessary to become aware that the Palestinian plight does not solely revolve around politics, and it is vital to  pay attention to the  Palestinian social context as well.