Aysha Ibrahim Hudali
Mother of political prisoners
My granddaughter keeps saying, “I want my Mommy, I want Daddy.” She waits. When she hears the doorbell she expects her dad, but when it turns out to be someone else, like her uncle, she cries, “Where is Daddy? You said Daddy was at work, why didn’t he come home?”[...]
Rivka Grabovski
Director of Daycare Center in Sderot
I hear the noise of the Qassam rocket, and the loudspeaker and the red alert, and my heart’s beating quickly, and I can’t catch my breath, and what do I do now? It can happen anywhere. You can be at home, at the center, in the street. I live in fear. I feel I have a sixth sense with which I can hear better, concentrate better. I’m so frightened and tense—but courage is key. Don’t give up, despite everything. I continue to walk for exercise, do my shopping, take classes, visit my girlfriends, and come to work despite the fears, anxiety, and trembling. I tell myself not to give up, but to get up and do the impossible. [...]
Fatima Shehada Ja’fari
Political activist, women’s organizer, and former political detainee
No institution has given Palestinian women anything. Women have to grab their rights from men. I was the only woman invited to the anniversary celebration of the Fatah movement. I asked the men, “Was the revolution launched by men only? No, it was launched by men and women. Women have always struggled. Have any of you brought your wives, sisters, or mothers to the struggle? You only get us involved when you want us involved. Then you put us aside. You vote for women because you have to, not because you choose to.” [...]
Sarai Aharoni
Facilitator with Isha L’Isha-Haifa Feminist Center
Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security was accepted by the United Nations Security Council in October 2000 and is seen by the international women’s movement as one of the biggest achievements of the movement during the last decade. It officially recognizes the need to incorporate women in all peace negotiations and everything to do with conflicts—prevention, management, and resolution. [...]
Salwa Abu Lebdeh
Camerawoman and documentary filmmaker
I am a director. I try to show a picture that’s different from the one you see on television that depicts a nation being killed, a nation that lacks life—with only funerals and flags. I show our life: a people with a history, civilization, and heritage. [...]
Badia Khalaf
Chair of Annahda Women’s Association
The best thing in life is love. Without love we cannot live. As Christians, we want only peace. This is our Christianity. We can love each other, we can live with each other. It’s not hard for us to live with Jewish people, Israeli people. [...]
Khawla Dawoud Ahmad Alazraq
Director of Psycho-Social Counseling Women’s Center
The occupation puts immense pressure on women. The men used to earn incomes by working in Israel, now they cannot go to Israel. They are frustrated, cannot feed their kids, and do not feel like real fathers who can support their families. This expresses itself in violence against women and children. [...]
Galia Golan
Commentator, author, professor, and co-founder of Peace Now
People aren’t afraid to use the word occupation today. I think people who don’t use the word are blind or unjust. I can’t understand them. There are, of course, people on the far Right who believe we liberated these territories in 1967—that the West Bank, Golan Heights, maybe even the Gaza Strip are God-given territories promised to Abraham. They would reject the word occupation. [...]
Wejdan Jaber
Board member of Filastiniyat and advocate for the disabled
The Palestinian people have their own history, culture, and traditions. We are normal people; we don’t cook bombs in our kitchens. Palestine is beautiful. We have wonderful oranges, a beautiful beach, great food like hummus and tabbouleh. I want people to dream of visiting Palestine not only as a holy place but to enjoy the beautiful culture, language, and music. [...]
Khuloud J. Khayyat Dajani
Professor and Chair of Al Quds Child Institute
The Palestinian nation has one of the highest fertility rates and a median age of 18. Large numbers of children need special care. It is obvious nobody looks out for them by the results in the streets of Gaza and the camps of Beirut and the West Bank. There’s little investment in refugee children by Palestinian leaders or Israelis, so they don’t know how to be proper citizens of the world. They suffer from a toxic environment—if you feel your country move towards civil war, it tells what kind of atmosphere the children live in. [...]
