Palestinian women's rights orgs protest against PA following suspected "honor killing"

Headline: “Ramallah: A [protest] vigil in front of the [PA] government building in Ramallah against the murder of Israa”

“The General Union of Palestinian Women, women’s organizations, and human rights organizations held a [protest vigil] in front of the [PA] government building in Ramallah yesterday [Sept. 2, 2019], during the weekly meeting [which addressed] the issue of late Israa Ghrayeb (i.e., died Aug. 29, 2019, in an suspected "honor killing”).

[PA] Minister of Women’s Affairs Amal Hamad said that the government will formulate a series of steps that will establish the basis for an entire system to defend our women, and that very soon the work on the law to defend the family will be completed.

Hamad emphasized: ‘The government discussed the circumstances of Ghrayeb’s murder. All conclusions of the investigation will be brought before the Palestinian society, and the truth will be clear to all. We will put the criminal on trial – if there indeed was a crime.’ …

She explained that the government is a partner of the civil society in fighting violence and defending women…

Dozens of women from women’s organizations and various human rights organizations participated in the vigil in a demand to expedite the passage of the law to defend the family from violence. They waved signs demanding to fight violence and provide defense for women…

[PA] Security Forces Mufti Muhammad Salah, who participated in the vigil, said: ‘Evil spirits possessing people is a controversial matter among the learned, but the greatest religious scholars think that it is impossible, because people are made of mud while spirits are made of fire, and it is impossible that people (sic., fire) adheres to mud’ (refers to claims by Ghrayeb’s family members that she died after being possessed by an evil spirit –Ed.).”