Press Releases

March 12, 2012. As part of the events and activities taking place for International Women's Day and Israeli Apartheid Week; the Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights organized a number of women’s activities in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In Bethlehem, Badil together with the Lajee Center in Aida Camp organized a women's trip to the city of Jericho on March 9, 2012 in commemoration of International Women's Day. The trip included a number of activities and discussions between Badil and the forty eight women activists from the three refugee camps of the Bethlehem area (Aida camp, Beit Jibrin camp, Dheisheh camp).

At the beginning of the trip, Badil activists presented the participants with information about the work, history and vision of the Center, and particularly its campaigns in defense of the rights of refugees and displaced Palestinians. This was followed by presentations by the women participants of the work carried out by the organizations to which they belong, focusing particularly on the work of these organizations in supporting and strengthening the capacities of women in refugee communities. Also discussed during the trip were the possibilities for future cooperation and networking in order to further broaden women’s participation in the activities and programs of Badil and its local partner organizations. Also discussed were ways in which cooperation and communication between Badil and the women activists could be effectively developed.

In addition to recreational activities involving visits to different sites in the city of Jericho, the panel discussions organized as part of the trip focused on the struggles and steadfastness of Palestinian women, as well as the importance of March 8 in highlighting women's struggles around the world, including those of Palestinian women. The women activists also shed light on the importance of supporting a meaningful role for Palestinian women in the struggle, strengthening their position in society, and ensuring their involvement in decision-making and institution-building.

The participants expressed their satisfaction with the trip, stating that it opened up the opportunity to meet one another, and to build a vision for possibilities for future communication and cooperation towards the implementation of coordinated and meaningful activities.

In the same vein, Badil activists in the Gaza Strip organized a popular festival commemorating International Women’s Day and furthering the analysis of Israel as an apartheid regime. The festival was organized in cooperation with the Women’s Action Center affiliated with UNRWA in al-Shati (Beach) camp on Sunday March 11, 2012. The festival was attended by 250 women and a group of notable personalities and a number of civil society activists in Gaza.

The festival was organized as part of a week of activities titled: A Week for the Definition of and Opposition to Israeli Apartheid. The week was organized as part of world wide events taking place under the banner of “Israeli Apartheid Week” and involved a number of activities organized by Badil in concert with local community organizations in the occupied and besieged Gaza Strip.

The International Women’s Day festival program opened with the Palestinian national anthem followed by several talks and presentations that were interspersed with music by the performing artist Reem Anbar and poetry by Gazan poet Hala Taleb. Among the speakers were Um Sa’di who recounted her memories and experiences relating to Palestinian heritage, customs and way of life before the Nakba in her village of Fallujah, and in which she argued for the importance of such knowledge in the formulation of national awareness and belonging. Professor Abdul Rahim Shehadeh offered a presentation on women's rights and the laws relating to these rights. Also speaking was Mr. Mohamed Sobhi Ghaith who spoke about Israel’s apartheid wall and the siege on Gaza, and their effects on Palestinians in the occupied territory. A presentation on the historical context of the Palestinian refugee struggle was also delivered by Mr. Abu Ala Hamid.

These events were in addition to a series of events organized by Badil during the month of March as part of the activities of International Women's Day and the Week of Resistance to Israeli Apartheid (Israeli Apartheid Week) in various regions of the occupied and besieged Gaza Strip. These events aimed to bolster the steadfastness of Palestinian women and to contribute to awareness-raising activities regarding the rights of the Palestinian people and the continuing violations against them, and especially against Palestinian women, by the Israeli settler colonial apartheid regime.