Fatah glorifies Palestinian women fighters - On International Women's Day

Celebrating International Women’s Day, Abbas’ Fatah Movement posted the image above of a Palestinian woman holding up a rifle. The image, as many others posted by Fatah before it and exposed by Palestinian Media Watch, promotes and endorses violence and terror. 

Fatah posted the following text with the image, praising Palestinian women as the makers of “heroes … brave ones,” and “Martyrs” – in other words terrorists – who “scented the pure land of Palestine with their pure blood”:

Posted text:"On International Women's Day, March 8 [2020],blessings and admiration for the Palestinian women – the mothers, sisters, daughters, and wives of the Martyrs, wounded, and prisoners everywhere… They are the ones who by their struggle and their pure blood have illustrated the most wonderful heroic feats of resolve, defiance, and self-sacrifice, and sacrificed their pure soulsfor freedom, [the refugees'] return, and independence. They have given birth to heroes and processions of brave ones, and pushed them to the fields of praise and eternity, and they [the heroes] ascended to Heaven like moons. They [the women] have given them one after the other as Martyrs for freedom, and they [the Martyrs] have scented the pure land of Palestine with their pure blood for certain victory.
#The_Palestinian_women_are_the_guardians_of_the_dream"

[Official Fatah Facebook page, March 8, 2020]

Rather than focusing on women’s rights or the lack thereof within the PA – such as the problem of domestic violence and honor killings – Fatah chose to promote Palestinian women’s equal participation in terror against Israel. 

So did PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. When congratulating Palestinian women on their “great achievements” in the “revolution,” he singled out female terrorists - “Martyrs” and “prisoners”: 

“Marking International Women’s Day, President Mahmoud Abbas praised today the struggle of the Palestinian women and the achievements they have made in all fields.
The President said the Palestinian women, hand-in-hand with their men counterparts, have made great achievements since the early days of the Palestinian contemporary revolution for freedom, statehood and independence.
He paid tribute to the Palestinian women martyrs and the women prisoners in Israeli detention.”

 [Wafa English edition, March 8, 2020]

Contrary to this alleged “equality,” the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said in a recent report that “Palestinian women participation in labor force and decision-making process in Palestine remains very low compared to men despite the fact that women make half of the Palestinian society.” PCBS statistics show that women’s participation in the labor force in 2019 was 18% of all women of work age. This rate remains unchanged since 2015. [Wafa English edition, March 7, 2020]

Fatah also posted the following images and texts in tribute to Palestinian women on International Women’s Day:

Posted text: "On International Women's Day we set apart the generous Palestinian women with a lot of love and respect for their special and large role in all areas of our lives. They are the mothers, the workers, the Martyrs, the prisoners, the commanders. They are the entire world. Greetings to the Palestinian women every day, and today on their global day."

Text on bottom of image:
“In honor of International Women's Day:
The Palestinian women
The mothers, the sisters, the Martyrs, the prisoners, the fighters"

In the upper left corner of the above image is the Fatah logo that includes a grenade, crossed rifles, and the PA map of “Palestine” that includes all of Israel in “Palestine.”

[Official Fatah Facebook page, March 8, 2020] 

Text on image:
"March 8
International Women's Day
The women's participation is a guarantee of freedom and independence
A thousand blessings to the Palestinian women
Educators, fighters, prisoners, and Martyrs"

The image shows a woman holding a Palestinian flag; in the background are masses of people.

[Official Fatah Facebook page, March 8, 2020]

Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor Laila Ghannam posted the following:

Posted text:
"All of the best for the Palestinian women every year, every day, and every moment.
The Palestinian women have been and will remain a symbol of giving.
Freedom for our female prisoners, praise for our female Martyrs, recovery for our female wounded.
You are the praiseworthy ones, and we bow our heads before you.
#March_8
[Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor] Dr. Laila Ghannam"

Text on image above and over the map: 
"This is my land
And this is my flag
And indeed, we indeed stand firm
Palestine"

The image shows a woman in traditional Palestinian garb sewing a Palestinian flag. Next to her is the PA map of “Palestine” including all of Israel.

[Facebook page of Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor Laila Ghannam, 
March 8, 2020]

The following is longer excerpts of the report on Abbas’ tribute to Palestinian women and statistics from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics:

Headline: “President Abbas pays tribute to Palestinian women's struggle”
“Marking International Women’s Day, President Mahmoud Abbas praised today the struggle of the Palestinian women and the achievements they have made in all fields.
The President said the Palestinian women, hand-in-hand with their men counterparts, have made great achievements since the early days of the Palestinian contemporary revolution for freedom, statehood and independence.
He paid tribute to the Palestinian women martyrs and the women prisoners in Israeli detention.
According to the Palestinian Prisoner's Society (PPS), there are 43 Palestinian women incarcerated in Israeli detention for resisting the Israeli occupation of their land.
27 of the 43 women have been sentenced to various terms, the highest is 16 years for Shurouq Dwayat, from occupied East Jerusalem, and Shatilla Abu Ayyad.
16 of the women prisoners are mothers, four held in administrative detention for various period without charge or trial and based on secret evidence, and eight were shot and wounded by soldiers before they were detained, PPS added.”

[Wafa English edition, March 8, 2020]

A similar report on Abbas’ speech was broadcast on Official PA TV, News, March 7, 2020.

Headline: “Palestinian women participation in labor force, policy-making very low - statistics bureau” 
“On the eve of the International Women's Day, which coincides on March 8 of every year, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said in a new report that Palestinian women participation in labor force and decision-making process in Palestine remains very low compared to men despite the fact that women make half of the Palestinian society.
According to the PCBS, the population in Palestine by mid-2020 is estimated at 5.10 million divided into 2.59 million males (51%) and 2.51 million females (49%).
Data of the PCBS Labor Force Survey 2019 showed that there is a big gap of participation between women and men in the labor force during 2015 and 2019; whereas the women’s participation still relatively low compared to men's participation.
The women participation rate in the labor force reached 18% out of total women at work age during 2019. This percentage was the same for the year 2015; knowing that the percentage of men's participation in labor force reached 70% in 2019.
According to 2019 data, the participation of women in decision making positions is still ed compared to men, said the PCBS. These data showed that 5% of the Palestinian Central Council members, 11% of the Palestinian National Council members and 14% of the Council of Ministers members are women. Also, 11% is the percentage of the active women ambassadors in the diplomatic service. Moreover, there is one woman holding the position of Ramallah and Al-Bireh governor out of 16 governors.
The percentage of households headed by women in Palestine was 11% (12% in the West Bank and 9% in Gaza Strip), according to the PCBS report.
There is a decline in the percentage of early marriage (for those under the age of 18) for both sexes, where it reached 20% of the females’ registered marriages in 2018 (19% in the West Bank and 21% in Gaza Strip) out of total number of females registered marriages in the same year compared with 24% in 2010, while the percentage was 1% of males’ registered marriages of out of total number of males registered marriages in the same year, compared to 2% in 2010.
According to the Labor Force Survey 2019, the percentage of married women out of the total number of women aged 18 years and above was 66%, 26% never married, 6% widows and 2% divorced.
Despite the decline in illiteracy rate among women over the past decade, the gap is still for men, where the illiteracy rate among women was 4% compared to 1% among men according to the Labor Force Survey 2019.
Data of the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, for the scholastic year 2018/2019, showed that male enrollment in secondary stage was 71%, compared to 91% female enrollment. As for the percentage of female students enrolled in the Palestinian higher education institutions, it reached 60%.
Data of the Household Survey on Information and Communications Technology 2019 indicated that the percentage of individuals (10 years and above) who use the internet reached 72% of males compared to 69% of females. Moreover, the percentage of males who use social or vocational networks reached 88% compared to 84% for females.”

[Wafa English edition, March 7, 2020]