Democratic Palestine : 3 (ص 18)

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Democratic Palestine : 3 (ص 18)

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increased, allowing women to demand equality in wages and
benefits. This also advanced women’s participation in syndi-
cates, and the founding of new associations and committees,
such as the Women’s Work Committee, the Working Women’s
Committee and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Commit-
tees.
Social activities
Palestinian women have managed to change some of the
old traditions, such as the wearing of veils and adornment, and
choosing a husband. Women were active in starting youth cen-
ters, clubs, summer camps, kindergartens, nurseries, literacy
campaigns, political and cultural debates, and nursing and first
aid courses. Women have given great attention to the families
of martyrs and prisoners, and formed various committees to
this purpose. A noticeable social phenomenon is marriages
between Palestinians of the 1948 occupied territories and
those of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Another such
phenomenon is refusal to marry outside the occupied ter-
ritories, especially if this would impose emigration. Women
have also defined social relations on a correct basis, promoting
discussion of important political and economic questions,
rather than gossip and talk about the latest fashions. Through
all of this, women have managed to gradually change the old
view of women as being only fit for housework.
Cultural activities
Women have played a great role in raising cultural aware-
ness among the Palestinian people and protecting the national
heritage. Many committees were formed to preserve tradi-
tional handicrafts, and magazines are published, such as The
Heritage and Society Magazine. Women have engaged in
literary activities, writing stories and poems, and working in the
press. Women have contributed to art through paintings and
sculpture. They participate in folkdancing and song groups,
and have been active in the initiation of theater groups. Women
have also devoted attention to organizing libraries and
engaged in literary, historical and social research.
Conclusidéns and tasks
Through this preliminary survey of the struggle of Palesti-
nian women, we can conclude the following:
1. The struggle of Palestinian women is directly linked to the
overall situation of the Palestinian people’s cause and revolu-
tion. It is affected by the crises, wars and conspiracies from
which our people suffer, and especially by the Zionist occupa-
tion, which has left its mark on every aspect of Palestinian soc-
iety.
2. The number of working women, their participation in syn-
dicates, and their initiation of associations andcommittees, is
on the increase.
18
3. There is responsiveness to academic and professional
education.
4. The leadership has passed from national bourgeoisie to
politically educated and working women fromthe lower strata
of the petit bourgeoisie. Related to this, the nature of women’s
activities has changed from being charity-oriented to more
comprehensive struggle.
5. Despite relative development, the man’s view of the role
of women is still superficial. Men still try to confine women to
housework, which limits her freedom and paralyzes her
abilities.
6. Despite the attention of some leftist organizations to sup-
port the women’s struggle, this is below the required level. The
organizations’ intentions are not reinforced by programs based
on comprehensive study of women’s problems and the means
for resolving them. This retards the advance of the women’s
movement and the emergence of women with leadership
experience, capable of holding key positions in the associa-
tions in the occupied territories.
7. Women’s participation in the military field has been limited
to a number of vanguards.
8. Energies are scattered among a great number of
women’s frameworks.
The Palestinian revolution in general, and women in par-
ticular, have urgent tasks inorder to promote the advance of
the women’s struggle in the occupied territories:
1. Ideological struggle against old customs and beliefs
regarding women and their role and against the laws of the
reactionary Arab regimes and the Zionist occupation which
perpetuate a backward attitude towards women (those gov-
erning inheritance, wages, polygamy, divorce, etc.). The
revolutionary organizations must adopt women’s issues
through proper study of their situation and struggle experience,
in order to develop this experience and spread awareness of
their real role in the society.
2. Programs must be drawn up, based on thorough study
among women, to provide proper solutions for daily problems
through child care and employment opportunities, especially in
productive fields, and for the training of women cadres.
3. Unifying efforts must be made to avoid political divisions
within mass organizations. Also, quality must be given priority
over quantity when establishing committees and service
facilities, such as kindergartens.
4. Developing existing projects and starting more productive
cooperative projects, as this would reduce unemployment and
in turn emigration, while recruiting more women into the labor
force.
5. Linking the women’s question to the national question on
the basis of a progressive orientation; pressuring the national
progressive forces to devote greater attention to women’s
issues.
6. Concentrating efforts to increase women’s participation in
the struggle against the Zionist enemy, especially the armed
struggle. @

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Democratic Palestine : 3

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