It has been always the habit that the 8^th of March would bring us an achievement in the demands for women's rights. In the year 2007; the 8^th of March was announced to be a holiday for women. In the year 2008; the Women's Document (Women’s Bill ofRights)has been adopted by the President, and this year the President surprised us with his signature on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CIDAW) agreement, and it is indeed a great achievement for the Palestinian women and their struggle over the decade.

 

The question that arises however is to which extent this signature is abiding from the legal side. Does it force the amendment of laws to be just for women? Will we witness a family law that deals with women as human beings and not as minors? Shall we expect a revision in the ministries' plans and policies so it would become more sensitive to women's issues?

 

Is the signature enough, or are we in need of an endorsementso the signature becomes abiding? Can the Palestinian Authority endorse it, while it is still not considered a country by the international community?

 

Most importantly, assuming that the law is changed, and the bylaws and plans of the ministries are changed, would it mean that we have achieved a democratic society free of all forms of discrimination against women?

 

Experience has taught us that the social and cultural upbringing is as powerful as the law, and therefore along with the change of law there should be serious work at the levels of the family and school, the cultural centers and media, and other organizations to achieve the desired change.

 

Today, when we are close to National Palestinian reconciliation, we still do not know whether this reconciliation will be achieved on the account of women's rights, so how can we guarantee the abolishment of all forms of discrimination against women, when women are absented from all the dialogue committees and all the important matters, which women are often affected by its decisions.

 

Canceling all forms of discrimination against women is not merely a decision, but it is continuous work on all levels in order to achieve social justice, and it is not abiding only for the Authority, but for the organizations, and the family which is the basis for social and cultural upbringing.

 

We, as a women's movement have to work so as this decision becomes action plans; which lead to social justice and the attainment of partnership between women and men without discrimination.

 

 

Prior to commencing on the side effects of mass killing of the Israeli occupying forces on Gaza Strip, at the end of last year women's suffering has been amplified in view of the fierce attack of the oppressor, loss of shelter. In view of the killings and injuries as well as permanent disabilities, during which Israel did not hesitate to utilize all sorts of forbidden weapons and bombs, all that is internationally banned like white phosphor, women and children were the key victims of these crimes, as well as the psychological effect of the war. 

 

One must briefly note the general living conditions of women prior to the Israeli attack on 27/12/2008, of which the main points are as follows:

 

This bitter situation resulting from the oppressive siege and the internal division have been survived by the Strip prior to the Israeli war on Gaza on 27/12/2008, this aggression on women, children, and the elderly has lasted over a period of three continuous weeks. These most fierce attacks by sea, air, and land were on Palestinian civilians and their properties, accompanied by the continued tight siege and a severe humanitarian crisis, with no water, no electricity, and no food supplies. This aggressive attack left thousands of martyrs, wounded, and destruction of thousands of houses, and the destruction of a wide area of agriculture land. As usual, the victims of this war and the Israeli crimes were the marginalized people. Women and children represented more that half of the victims (115 women and 450 children were among the martyrs), this aggression targeted entire families, entire neighborhoods, and thousands of families were forced to take shelter (in schools and other places), now their only shelter is to live in tents which were built on the ruins of their homes, this situation is aggravated by the severe winter cold.

 

Therefore, women have directly suffered from this aggression and its consequences. Women were martyrs, wounded, lost their children, their families, and their husbands. Women's loss cannot be measured or restricted to psychological effects, fear and horror.

 

Now after the end of the war the situation has become more tragic, and it is reflected on the daily lives of the Palestinian people, especially women and children.

 

 

Women in Gaza Strip suffer from in the internal division, and the control of Hamas on several civil society organizations, which has been turned to detention camps and prisons. These organizations lost its ability to provide its services to women. In addition, activist women are targeted and questioned continuously which is affecting their ability to serve the needs of women during this time of crisis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

اليوم الآخر). This is how several people described their shock of what happened, explosions, bombing, destruction, martyrs, and thousands of wounded. The streets were filled with horror and women's and children's fear who were not used to such suffering. "How can you imagine the extent of psychological suffering that the people have been through in the early seconds of the war on Gaza?" This question was raised by the specialist Ms. Rawya Hamam from Gaza Program for Psychological Health during the Seminar held by the Women's Affairs Technical Committee in its main headquarters in Ramallah through video conferencing with Gaza. The seminar was entitled "The Situation of Psychological Health of Women and Children Post War" which was attended by a number of specialized professionals in psychological health and representatives of civil society organizations and interested people in this subject.

 

The Seminar was opened by Voice of Women Chief Editor Ms. Lubna Al-Ashqar, welcoming the participants, and noting that this seminar was one of several seminars held by WATC in issues relevant to women, children, and the family. Ms. Al-Ashqar clarified that this seminar evolved around two main themes; to highlight the state of psychological health of women and children in Gaza post the attack and the required interventions, and the long term effect of the psychological heath of women and children socially and economically.

 

Ms. Khawla Al-Azraq, a psychologist and a member of WATC executive committee, was the seminar moderator and talked about the great devastating consequences which were left by the last war on Gaza Strip, which was unprecedented on all levels, and the painful stories which affected all the walks of life and the different strata of the society. This requires the development of appropriate interventions by all the organizations working in the field of psychological health in order to provide the required psychological care.

 

Ms. Azraq stressed on the importance of focusing on the long term effects of this war on women and children on both the psychological and social levels.

 

Ms. Rawya Hamam, a psychologist from Gaza Program for Health presented the results of the first study done by the Program to analyze the effects of war and its consequences on the psychological health of the parents. The study was administered on a random sample from 141 different locations from different areas. The study revealed that on the average, parents experienced 14 shocking event for each person. It was also noticed that the most frequent event was hearing the bombarding on Gaza Strip; this percentage reached 97.2% while 95% witnessed the bombing of Gaza Strip.

 

The prevalence of experiencing a shocking event was lower for men than for women. It was 95% for the former and 98% for women. The study revealed that 97.2% of the parents did not feel safe inside their houses during the war, and 94.2% of the parents did not feel capable of protecting their families during the war. The majority of the studied sample felt insecure and powerless.

 

As for the psychological reactions; the study revealed that 54% of the sample had painful memories and feelings about the war, while more than 46% were afraid from the recurrence of war, while 65.1% of the studied sample expressed the fear of war exceeded the fear of contracting serious illness.

 

As for children's shocking events; hearing the sound of bombardments reached 92.1% and the majority did not feel safe inside their homes, and this percentage reached 97.2%, and 95.6% of the children felt unable to protect themselves during the war. Symptoms of depression were widespread among children, and this was manifested in nightmares and 34.1% experienced it. 27.5% of the children felt like crying, and 39.5% felt that life was worthless. Symptoms of anxiety post the war reached 80.5% and worry about the future.

 

Mr. Hasan Ziyadeh, Director of Gaza Program for Psychological Health in his presentation focused on the long term consequences of war on the social and psychological levels for women and children. He stressed on the importance of dynamic interventions to deal with psychological crises on a group and individual levels. He pointed out that the war came as one of the series of stressing factors for the Palestinian people in Gaza Strip; commencing with the siege, the internal fighting, and finally the war.

 

He added that all these factors which people have survived created devastating psychological effects and clear suffering. The main issue was the feeling of helplessness during these consecutive crises. Mr. Ziyadeh asserted that the effect of the internal political fighting cannot be negated on the psychological levels and causing identity crisis of the Palestinian person.

 

Mr. Ziyadeh pointed out that the war was on a psychologically depleted people. Its multi-level effects were unprecedented in terms of severity and duration in the history of Palestinians. He asserted that the psychology of humans is affected by the social, economic and political conditions.

 

Mr. Ziyadeh warned against the possible risks resulting from the feeling of total helplessness and the common state of the general mood, its effect on creative thinking. He clarified that a major reason for the feeling of helplessness is due to the internal fighting with its effect far reaching than the occupation.

 

Mr. Ziyadeh added that there are cases which are under sever shock due to the loss of relatives or property, mourning for people going though crisis requires concepts and modes of psychological interventions and family support. This will in turn increase the levels of depression, and the expression of the shock between the Palestinians will be manifested in a different way than others.

 

Mr. Ziyadeh expressed his fear of the appearance of physical symptoms as a result of the shock, followed by a misinterpretation of the diagnosis leading to excessive utilization of tranquilizers which could be addictive.

 

He also alerted from the danger of the development of identity crisis between children which could cause fanatism, violence, and refusal to accept the other. He also clarified that often it is the children and women in the Palestinian society who are psychologically and socially affected from the war. Women are expected to resume their roles as mothers and wives; while at that specific time women are the ones who are in dire need for care and therapy due to the shocks they have endured during the war.

 

At the end of the Seminar the participants put forward a recommendation to come up with an urgent comprehensive action plan (on the social and psychological levels) by both the private and public sectors to put preliminary solutions and necessary interventions to deal with the effects of the Israeli war on Gaza Strip. Participants stressed on the importance of networking between the organizations working in psychological health, unification of efforts and services provided to the victims of war, especially women and children.

 

 

 

Legal and official sources revealed that half of the casualties who died or were affected by the siege on Gaza Strip were women during the past year of 2008. These women suffer from drastic circumstances, with no minimal assistance provided to them.

 

These sources confirmed that the living conditions of the Palestinian women have become very harsh. This is reflected on the different levels, due to the imposed siege on Gaza Strip for three consecutive years; which is affecting every level of their lives. The lives of women are affected by the policy of collective punishment and the tight Israeli measures imposed on the citizens, especially in the Gaza Strip.

 

The suffering reached not only the sick, the old, the men, and the children, but also the women who got there share of this suffering too. Women were denied there right for health care and treatment in hospitals abroad, and the health care institutions suffered from acute shortage of vital medications necessary for life saving of the sick citizens.

 

Al-Quds Press stated that out of 1500 sick citizens in Gaza Strip, 200 died, one third of which were women; since July 2007 to date. At the same time the situation persists and hundreds of other sick patients await the same destiny.

 

The year 2008 witnessed a noticeable increase in the number of the casualties as a result of the oppressive siege on Gaza Strip; which had increased during the past year with the closure of entrances, causing the depletion of the medications and forbidding the sick citizens from traveling for treatment abroad.

 

The statistics of the “The European Campaign to end the Siege on Gaza Strip” with its headquarters in Brussels – indicated that the number of the casualties of the siege since it was imposed till the beginning of the year 2008, till the month of June of the same year reached 124 cases of death, all of which were ill. Of those 44 were children and 67 women. Which means one half of the casualties of the imposed siege were women. During the months of June and July of the past year, another 60 citizens died. The rate of death is one death per day of an ill citizen which is the highest death rate to date.

 

On several occasions, the Palestinian Ministry of Health has warned from the increase in anemia and malnutrition among pregnant mothers, as a result of the suffocating siege on the Strip. In addition, it warned from congenital anomalies and disabilities in the newborns of the Gaza Strip. An official source from the Women’s Health Department in the Palestinian Ministry of Health indicated that there is a severe shortage in medications and food supplies due to the siege, which has caused the majority of pregnant mothers to suffer from anemia and malnutrition. This had resulted in several cases of deformation in the bones, and low birth weight between the newborns.

 

Dr. Lamia O’beid, Coordinator of the Women’s Health Programme from the Medical Relief Society in Gaza Stated: “The siege has drastically affected women’s health; the number of visiting patients has quadrupled in the health care centers of the Medical Relief Society during the year 2007. The number of patients during the past year reached 7364. Women suffered from several diseases especially pregnant women, such as malnutrition and anemia. The prevalence of anemia reached its highest rates, and the level of hemoglobin reached to 8 degrees, as a result of the siege and its consequences. In addition to unbalanced diets; this should contain all the necessary elements necessary for the health of the bodies."

 

Dr. O’beid clarified that there is an increase in the rate of abortions and bleeding cases as well. In addition, during the past two months congenital anomalies and disabilities were found between the newborns. Furthermore, it is expected that the percentage of these cases will increase especially after the war on Gaza Strip, and as a result of the use of forbidden arms against the civilians.

 

As for the services offered through the mobile clinics, which is offered to the remote areas, the number of cases reached was 2389 women, that was in addition to the afore mentioned number.

 

In addition the difficulties in mobility and the shortage of fuel; which was the feature of the past year, Dr. Obeid asserted that due to the siege and shortage of fuel greatly affected the ability of women to move and attend the awareness activities, and their presence was only for the receipt of urgent medical services. Dr. O'beid clarified that the Medical Relief Committees launched a home visits programme for pregnant women in order to overcome the difficulties encountered by women for mobility.

 

She added that civil and educational activities and counseling services were limited to those women who attended the clinics, especially women in menopause age. They were offered medical counseling especially elderly women who suffered from chronic diseases, like hypertension, diabetes, and arthritis.

 

Dr. O'beid added that there is a high percentage of women with psychological disorders, which requires intervention; where the current plans focus on offering psychological support for those women, and several activities were launched in this sphere. These activities focused on drawing, where the women's drawings focused on military combat weapons used during the war, scenes of blood and debris, which reflects their suffering which they have endured during the war.

 

Ms. Miriam Shaqqura, Director of Women's Health Centre in Jabalia Camp of the Red Crescent Society pointed out that the Centre relies on community awareness and individual counseling in its activities. The number of offered services for women during the year 2008 reached 6508 of different services, in addition to the different field visits such as those offered to pregnant women, post partum visits, and health education, where it reached a total of 1493 visits. Specialized visits fielded during the same year was 216 visit between professionals and institutional.

 

 

Ms. Shaqqoura clarified that the main health problems between women during 2008, was manifested in urinary tract infections, reproductive inflammations, anemia, breasts problems and prevalence of lumps, and the increased risk factors among young pregnant women, such as multiple pregnancies, hypertension, and frequent abortions among women.

As for the problems stemming from that war on Gaza, Ms. Shaqqoura clarified and based on a report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), that several problems arose which are common between women post the war, which were marked in the increased rates in anemia, increased nervousness, problems with sleep and eating, exaggerated fear, sadness and crying. She pointed that 20% of the diseases between women were psychosomatic, in addition, their total feeling of helplessness and insecurity. As well as living all kinds of abuse; with its negative social and psychological effects.

 

Ms. Shaqqoura pointed out the different needs of women post war. The most important are the financial needs such as: safe residents, healthy foods, and the psychological needs such as social and psychological support, and the social needs such as security, negotiations and accepting the other, social support for affected family to include both social and psychological needs, health needs for women especially during pregnancy and postpartum, as well as all age groups, provision of supplementary vitamin especially for the cases of anemia and calcium deficiency free of change, and the provision of free medications for cases of chronic diseases.

 

 

 

 

 

As women celebrate their day on the 8^th of March, others fall in water wells under different pretexts for murder, and the wolf runs away leaving the woman to be taken alone to be slaughtered. These women were killed like sheep; some were killed with the use of an explosive belt or with a gunshot on the hands of her brother who resumed his outing with his friends, others were buried alive while bleeding with innocence, or by poisoning, or is pushed to commit suicide. Women are killed under different names for their tribes. So how can their new year's celebrations are ornamented, with March monitoring their photos and the letters of their names within a statistic or in a newspaper.

 

In the year 2007, a young man with his cousin killed three of his sisters (N,S,L), one married; by stabbing her with a sharp tool, the others were suffocated after taking them to an unknown place, after that the brother tried to burry his sisters. However, some people saw what happened and called the police. After two days, the police declared that they have arrested the accused, and he has confessed that he killed them with the pretext of the so called "honor killing", were the bodies were found in a cemetery in the eastern part of Deir Al Balah. It is worth mentioning that this young man and his cousin have killed the mother of the girls one year before killing the sisters, and wounded one girl. It was noted that these four women have previously fled from their relatives from Gaza to another place running from their definite fate. The police stated that their brother and a group of young men were convicted of killing a minor girl who was 16 years old after raping her in a remote area in the northern part of Gaza Strip. The court has sentenced the killers with a death penalty, but this young man fled from the prison as a result of the internal fighting.

 

 

A mother killed her daughter who was no more than 17 years old by strangling her to death. Upon investigating the case, it was revealed that when the girl was still a child, her uncle had raped her for the first time. Her mother used to send food for him with her to a distant house in the farms in the southern part of Gaza Strip. The girl was afraid to inform her parents, and her uncle continued abusing her. One day the young girl was going through labor pain, and her mother killed her to get rid of her disgrace, while the slaughterer uncle is still alive…

Four girls, of which three were sisters, in a brutal manner, were stabbed by a knife in different parts of their bodies. One was slaughtered like a sheep, different stories were told, but the real reason for their killing is still unknown since autopsy was not done, and in the absence of an official police report, speculations increase around the so called "crimes of honor".

 

A young man killed his unmarried sister after suspecting that she was pregnant. He saw her overblown abdomen thought that she has sinned. However, it was later discovered that his sister was sick which caused her abdomen to over blow, but unfortunately the truth was late discovered after she was killed, especially when the body was examined and she turned out to be a virgin.

 

(M) was murdered on 30/4/2007, as stated by the police sources in Rafah, a body of a 21 years old girl was found, she was killed under the pretext of "honor". Autopsy by the official Palestinian forensic revealed that the victim was virgin.

 

(A) was killed in Nablus in the year 2005 after being tortured and dumped in the city dumpster, and was burnt under the pretext of the so called "honor killing".

 

(M) was killed in Qalqilia, and her body was found in one of the water wells in Al Marj area north of the city. She was slaughtered by her relatives under the pretext of the so called "honor killing".

 

(G) from Hebron was poisoned by her father and brother, under the pretext of the so called "honor killing".

 

The legal specialist Hana'a Waly from Gaza Program for Psychological Health said: "Killing under the pretext of "honor killing" is charged with a maximum of 3 years of imprisonment, and if the killer is sick the sentence is reduced, and the law is not usually implemented, killers are set free from jail as if no murder was done. On several occasions I noticed that the real motive for the murder was not related to honor, but there were other reasons such as inheritance. For example in A'basan the murder of "honor" goes unpunished, and with the examination of the victim it was found that she was virgin. In the majority of the cases the murderer is not questioned, and there is no charge of murder on the basis of "honor", but there is a legal record for the murderer. There are no clear statements in the law, and it is not in the favor of the women. If a woman kills her husband for "honor", if she catches him with another woman, she is convicted as murderer. As a matter of fact not a single girl was caught with a man, but due to rumors girls are killed. There are times when the real murderer is not the accused one, but the family chooses the weakest and presents him to the police, and often it is the young and unmarried brother. The brother knows that there will be no charge against the so called "honor killing", so he confesses of murdering the sister".

 

The police stated that there was one case where the mother motivated her son to kill her daughter while she witnessed the act. In spite of her daughter's screams and pleading for mercy, she did not listen, and the motherhood feelings were overcome with the harsh feelings of tyranny of the family.

 

Sumaya Habib the psychologist in the Palestinian Centre for Democracy and Conflict Resolution stated that "Cases are unjustly killed, at times they kill for inheritance, or the father rapes his daughter and then kills her under the pretext of "honor killing" to cover his crime. At the end it is the girls who are oppressed and killed. Several women were killed in this male dominant society, and the woman is the weakest and is always blamed, even if she is raped, she will be the one to be judged, punished and killed. This is a very sensitive subject, and in reality the cases that have been actually murdered under the pretext of "honor", are not known, since their families are ashamed and cover up on this act. In spite of the consequences of the killing on the family; sisters are no more sent to school, no body cares for them within the family, and they only want to marry them off without a scandal".

 

According to the statistics of the Palestinian Centre for Democracy and Conflict Resolution in Gaza, it is stated that during the year 2006 the number of cases of the so called "honor killing" reached (17), while in the number of cases for the year 2006 for West Bank and Gaza Strip were (14) cases. The year 2007 several women's and legal centers along with the Centre for Democracy and Conflict Resolution (9 murder cases) till the end of September 2007. The statistics indicate that a total of (48) murder cases against women were committed between the years (2004-2006), the youngest victim was twelve years old, and the oldest victim was a woman who was older than eighty five years old.

32 victims were killed under the pretext of "honor killing", out of which 14 were not married, from this percentage it was noticed that the majority of the victims of the so called "honor killing" were unmarried women, which indicates that the unmarried women represent a threat to the social system.

As for the remaining cases they were killed for different allegations, which had indirect relationship with their gender. As for the year 2008, there were only two cases which are "honor killing", and this is according to the statistics of the Palestinian Centre for Democracy and Conflict Resolution in Gaza.

 

 

 (* Together, Together, in the City of the Moon)

I was not uncertain if I was going to be able to reach Jericho since the weather forecast predicted it might snow in Ramallah. Mai Hillal, the head librarian at Jericho's library said, over the phone: ''how are we meant to know that it's cold and snowing in Ramallah, while the weather here in Jericho is warm and autumn like!''. Nevertheless, she had hoped I would be present, they hate postponing meetings, especially when the seventh grade children have read my book 'Sawa, Sawa' and were looking forward to discussing it with me.

 

Seven years have passed since my last interaction with children. The last time I worked with them was during the Israeli siege of Ramallah in 2002, where the children and I read many stories, as well as wrote our own throughout the 40 days of blockade.

 

Today, while on my way to meet the seventh grade children attending, Zahrit Al-mada'n School for boys, and Jericho Girls Elementary school, at the municipality's library to discuss my story ''Sawa, Sawa'', I felt as if I would be meeting children for the first time. This feeling is due to my work after the siege of Ramallah focusing more on working with women, as well as managerial duties.

 

I reached Jericho earlier than scheduled. The weather there was something else, in this city that had slid off the sea's surface by approximately 276m, whose Palm trees stand high, is filled with warm coloured blossoms like its weather. It is Jericho, this ancient city of Canaan that has survived the ages which has given it its name. In Syrian it means, fragrance or sweet smell. In Canaanic, Jericho means, the city of the moon, on other occasions Jericho has been called, the city of Palms or the sky's garden. It has also been said, that Jericho was named after Ariha bin Malik bin Arnakhshid bin Sam bin Nuh, May Peace be Upon them. Jericho has also been called Al-Siysan valley, due to a still existing kind of tree, which surrounds its orchards. Among other names for Jericho has been called 'Ain Al-yashi' or Tal Al-sultan; a hill, that dates back to the first form of its ancient self.

To the East of Jericho lies the Jordan River, whose water level falls year after year. The River where Jesus Christ, the son of Mary was baptised. To the West of the city lies the steep slope of Kurontul, which is known as 'Mount of Temptation'. It is said that this is where Jesus Christ was tested by Satin, who asked Jesus to jump off the cliff insisting he will be saved.

 

Furthermore, there used to lie at approximately 2km North of Jericho, 'Ain Al-sultan refugee camp. This camp was shelled by the Israeli army in 1967, which caused its refugees to flee once more, but this time to the East of Jordan. It is also this refugee camp, and precisely in 1980, that my family was brutally forced by the Israeli army to flee to. During that time I was not residing in Palestine, yet I followed my family's news through the radio, television and reading Hebrew newspapers.

 

Jericho, the passageway for convoys, the place where mountains penetrate the sky, where near by Sedom and 'Amura used to lie. It is through Jericho that invaders entered, as well as, the path the believers took on their way to the Holy city of Jerusalem. Jericho is the Eastern gate of Palestine, and the channel convoys have taken over the centuries.

 

I had no trouble reaching Jericho's library at the municipality, as it is the same place that previously welcomed me as a poet at a recital held there on a warm spring evening. I was early, so I went into the hall where a few children with their teacher's were present. And the custodian of the library Ms. Mai was waiting to greet me. The second group of children arrived, and I could not wait I did not want to waste a single moment. I wanted to instantly start a discussion with the children, as it has been such a long time since I have had this opportunity, due to an overload of work.

 

Talking to the children was enjoyable, and the informal environment dissolved barriers between us. They asked me a lot of questions, some I had anticipated, but others I had not. After a short while, the mayor of Jericho Mr. Hassan Saleh joined us. He welcomed me with kind words, and warmly introduced my story the topic under discussion, as well as encouraging the general meeting with the children. 

 

The municipality of Jericho has a special place in my heart, as it helped my family in time of need. There is a bond between Jericho as a city with its municipality, which paid witness to the 'Strangest Story' that year, the name given by the press to the event. On a hot day in May of 1980, my younger brother who was fifteen at the time was detained. He was arrested for throwing a stone at the Israeli military governor of Bethlehem. That day both my brother and father were detained by the Israeli forces. They tortured my brother in front of my father as a means to weaken him. However, my brother stood strong, even though he was only a child at the time. The harder they hit, the more determined my brother became, until he lost consciousness. They threw him then in front of the local government hospital in Bethlehem. There, the doctors were able to bring my brother back to life, which was a miracle, since he had lost a lot of blood as a result of the Israelis cutting his Ureters. After that, my family was exiled to 'Ain Al-sultan refugee camp, all because of a stone, or to be honest for fighting occupation. From then on, 'Ain Al-sultan became a focal point, where many expressed their rejection of the Israeli policy of exile and relocation. A policy used till this day, and is clear today with Israeli attempts to displace the Palestinian people of Jerusalem.

 

My family was not alone, the municipality of Jericho became home to Al-ka'abi family, who were expelled to 'Ain Jaber refugee camp, by the Israeli occupation. My mother gained her philosophy in life from her experience at 'Ain Al-sultan refugee camp. She would say ''I thank God that it is us who have been expelled and not anyone else. At least our children have grown up'', which contrasts the situation of Al-ka'abi family who had children. From that day on, the Al-ka'abi family name began to mean a lot to me, since they share the same hardship we endured. Till this day, whenever someone asks my mother about the 'Ain Al-sultan experience, she never fails to mention the Al-Ka'abi family, and always ends the story with her saying ''I thank God that it is us who have been expelled and not anyone else. At least our children have grown up''.

 

It is words such as my mother's, which have taught us that children are the founding stone. Therefore, we are to protect and make sacrifices for them. Our love for them is unconditional, and my mother had never read the resolution of children's rights. I was pleased with the children's questions and their search for convincing answers. I learnt from them what children enjoy in stories. For the children of the seventh grade were honest in informing me, that it is adventures they seek, while not enjoying stories of wisdom. And if we are to think of books as a way to stimulate children, we must create suspense all the way through to the last page.

 

The story of ''Sawa, Sawa'', paved the way to a lot of discussion to what children are and are not supposed to do. There was a variety of answers among the girls and boys. The children found that girls are able to perform more duties than boys, since boys feel ashamed to perform female related tasks. Discussion over the principle of what is considered inappropriate and its reasons took form, we also applied this concept to family roles. Also, we looked at ways to changing perceptions in society, which led us to reading the story 'Faris Can Help'. In this story we learn about Faris, and the environment in which he is raised, one where the family as a whole is very cooperative, and tasks are not distributed according to gender, which is the case for many people in society.

 

I guess this story will not drastically change the perception of gender roles; however, the topic did manage to raise a few questions on the issue. An issue that is integral in the way daily life and its running is perceived, and relationships are formed. Moreover, distribution of roles based on gender may be fixed, yet it can also be unjust.