Arab female members of local authorities established a network to provide information and connections at the end of a study day for Arab female members of local authorities, organized by the Mossawa Center on Friday, May 31, 2024. The event took place with the participation of the majority of members at the "O'nwan - Forum for Art and Culture," established by the Tawfiq Ziad Foundation in the old city of Nazareth.
"Don't wait for someone to give you permission; take charge and make a difference." With this phrase, the executive director of the Mossawa Center, Suha Salman Mousa, opened the study day for the members. Mousa pointed out that the content of this workshop was designed to respond to the needs of the elected members, empowering them to perform their duties towards their electors and towns. The Mossawa Center has been accompanying this topic since 1999.
"We believe that there are enormous leadership potentials stored within Arab female members, and there are significant challenges to the involvement of women in public and political work, their presence in decision-making positions, and the necessity of a framework based on the cumulative experience of women who have experienced local government membership. This framework would provide elected female members with the tools, knowledge, and suitable social network to effect political and societal change."
Resource Development coordinator at the Mossawa Center, Rawda Morcus Makhoul, opened the workshop "Tasks and Challenges of a City Council Member," emphasizing the role of Arab women in protecting the Palestinian community since the Nakba. Dr. Nuha Badr spoke about her experience as a deputy head and a council member in the municipality of Maghar, facing challenges as the first woman to hold the position of deputy head of the municipality. She provided several tips for overcoming obstacles: "In this field, you must have a process, a specific agenda, and arm yourself with abundant knowledge and information. A woman's presence on the city council contributes to changing the masculine way of thinking in the city council and its facilities and the quality of services."
Former Nazareth municipality member and researcher Dr. Rana Zaher-Kreini spoke about the increase in the number of Arab women in local authorities over recent years, despite the decline in the last elections due to war and violence in the Arab community. In 2003, there were 3 female representatives, in 2008 there were 5, in 2013 there were 13, in 2018 there were 23, and in 2023, 23 Arab women were elected to local authorities. Zaher stressed the importance of working to increase the number of elected Arab female members and developing their performance and deepening their knowledge. She also shared her personal experience as a member of Nazareth municipality, discussing the challenges she faced and how to overcome them, the crucial role of civil society institutions, including the Mossawa Center, in supporting new members, which motivated her to conduct academic research documenting the experience of Arab women in local authorities and publishing her new book titled "Eyes Wide Open: Voices of Palestinian Arab Women in Local Politics in Israel."
Parliamentary and human rights advocacy coordinator at the Mossawa Center, Nibal Abu Alardat, opened the workshop "Government Budgets for Local Authorities," highlighting the importance of using the Freedom of Information Act to obtain data on programs and government budgets for local authorities. Deputy Director of the Economic Development Authority in the Ministry of Civil Equality, Salima Mustafa Suleiman, reviewed the key topics and budgets within the five-year plan 550 and how to allocate budgets to local authorities and the private sector, and how to exhaust budgets in local projects, such as solid waste collection, industrial area development, human resource development, enhancing the education department in local authorities, and closing gaps with balancing and development grants.
Economist at the Mossawa Center, Mohamed Abu Leil, presented information about the state budget deficit and cuts in budgets allocated to the Arab community in various government offices and their economic and social impact on the Arab community. Abu Leil pointed out the government's intention to cut budgets allocated to Arab towns by more than 15% in 2024 and urged members to actively participate in budget advocacy activities and then exhaust them.
Mossawa Center director Jafar Farah discussed the importance of presenting the demands of Arab women during the preparation of local authority budgets and emphasized the responsibility of government offices, especially the Ministries of Finance and the Economic Development Authority, to prioritize services needed by women in government plans, including providing public transportation within neighborhoods, building nearby industrial and employment areas, constructing daily nurseries, solving the housing crisis for young couples, and ensuring accessible health services in marginalized areas.
On "Political Marketing and Using Media Platforms to Reach the Public," journalist Sherine Younis provided an intervention on how to deal with the media as a tool and platform to maintain communication and proximity with the citizens who elected them and trusted them. She expressed her readiness to accompany the members and ensure their presence on her programs.
Media consultant Ala’a Agbariya gave a lecture on political marketing, how to handle different network platforms, and the importance of maintaining transparency and building trust with voters. He offered tips on using Facebook, websites, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter to communicate with the public.
On "Development Projects in Local Authorities," engineer at the municipality of Kafr Qara Inas Khourshid Fahoum provided a deep intervention on the role of the engineering department in Arab local authorities in providing short and long-term plans that enable local authorities to obtain government budgets and investment funds. She presented examples of projects prepared over the past five years to develop Kafr Qara in the fields of housing, culture, transportation, education, parks, and industry. Fahoum shared her experience and the challenges she faced in preparing structural plans in Kafr Qara, industrial areas and their development, overcoming obstacles, and dealing with regional planning and construction committees and the Lands Authority to develop the Menashe railway plan next to Kafr Qara.
Former general manager of Nazareth municipality and member of the Arab Education Issues Follow-Up Committee, Mr. Raji Mansour, provided a detailed lecture on ways to obtain resources for building educational institutions. Mansour played a significant role in securing budgets for building approximately 5,000 teaching rooms in Arab towns. He explained the importance of following programs and budgets "Given" and "Challenges" aimed at enriching the educational process. Mansour emphasized the importance of submitting plans to build 800 teaching rooms in Arab towns annually.
Director of the Accumulated Debts Project, Mrs. Khaloud Abdel Ghani, explained a project currently being implemented in 15 Arab local authorities in cooperation with the Execution and Collection Authority and how to accompany Arab citizens in organizing debts transferred to the collection authority through legal and economic advice provided in Arab local authorities. Abdel Ghani presented concerning data on the size of debts and seizures in the Arab community, reaching about 40% of Arab citizens, deepening the financial and social crisis of young couples, families, and women.
At the end of the workshop, it was agreed to form a working network and coordination between the elected members in cooperation with the Mossawa Center and institutions interested in supporting and developing women's participation in decision-making positions. It was agreed to build a future work program that ensures the improvement of women's representation in decision-making positions, deepening their knowledge, and facilitating access to information and working mechanisms.
