Jihad Abu Zneid
Posted on | March 3, 2009 | No Comments
Member of Palestinian Legislative Council (Fatah party), Jerusalem
My name means “holy war” or “struggle.” I was born in 1967 after Israel occupied the West Bank. My father named me Jihad because he felt I would be a jihad. To me, it means a struggle for a just peace, women’s issues, for all Jerusalem issues.
Do you personally feel secure?
Never. You never feel safe under occupation. It is great suffering to live in a refugee camp. Occupation means violence and more violence. To me, just peace means a situation where you are safe in your house, where your children are safe, where your house will not be demolished, where you will not face attacks by soldiers, and where you have freedom of movement.
My mission as a Parliament member is to empower women to help others in their own circles, help them to create a good life socially and economically. We look to a future where women play the vital role in educating our children and our people to bring a just peace.
Palestinian women are very strong. I worked on women’s issues in Fatah for many years, but I felt humbled when I opened the Women’s Center. The women suffering at the grassroots level are stronger and more powerful than the leaders.
What does security mean for the Palestinian woman?
We as Palestinian women cannot feel secure until we have security at the national level, and also, when we have empowered ourselves from various customs and traditions within Palestinian society itself. We have to get more and more rights for women. We must stop the demolitions of houses, denial of the basic resources for life, and children living in fear. We must eliminate domestic violence in families.
Tell us about your background, education, and the work you do with women.
I was born and live in Shafaq camp, a refugee camp near Jerusalem. I have five brothers and five sisters. I went to Jerusalem for my high school because the camp didn’t have any high school facilities. After I got my BA from Hebron University, I finished my education in psychology. I was started working with a human rights organization that shaped my focus on women’s rights and human rights in Palestine. I finished my MA from the University of Jerusalem in American Studies.
As a woman member of Parliament, I am dedicated to the daily needs for the women and children. I face a lot of pressure with respect to my duties and responsibilities. Through the Women’s Center I opened, my mission is to empower women and raise awareness of women’s issues in Jerusalem and Palestine.
My goal is to empower women to help others in their own circles, empowering them to create a good life with respect to their social and economic condition.
As a Parliament member and a woman, what would you say to political leaders?
I would say to Israeli and Palestinian leaders, “Go down to the grassroots and listen to what the people want. You will hear how much both sides are suffering. If God has put you in the position of a leader, you must work hard to release both sides from the occupation. The important message is to forgive. Violence and security do not go together. A secure life can only be guaranteed by dialogue and connection.
Having a Palestinian state next to the Israeli state will not easy. We must all work—children, mothers, and leaders—on both sides to realize this dream. We must learn that trust, forgiveness, and love are important
What would you say to Israeli and Palestinian mothers?
Teach your child not to hate but to love. Give yourself the opportunity to listen to us. Open your eyes: the world is not one-sided but a circle. We share the same land, and we must share the same hopes for the future. We must change the situation by giving more resources to the people—resources of forgiveness, love, respect for religion, and community.
Our hope is a free Palestine—to live like all the women in the world, to live in dignity. My dream is to see all the women in Palestine give smiles to their children. I hope I can see Jerusalem as a city for all the religions. This is the light at the end of the tunnel.
Abu Zneid is a Fatah representative to the Palestinian governing body, where she sits on the Jerusalem, Prisoners, and Refugees Committees. She is president of the Women’s Center of Shu’fat refugee camp in East Jerusalem, which tends the social, economic, and educational needs of women and children. The Center provides vocational and literary training, fitness education, leadership development, and operates a nursery school.
