Will Fatah change approach to women during upcoming elections?
The Fatah movement in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is deploying efforts to avoid past mistakes and promote the role of women in the decision-making process ahead of the upcoming Palestinian general elections.
The Palestinian Fatah movement and the Democratic Reform Current headed by dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan have been witnessing remarkable activity by female cadres ahead of the May 22 legislative elections in an attempt to avoid past errors, including overlooking the important role women play, that helped to Fatah's loss in the polls in 2006.
The neglect of women by the Fatah movement seemingly pushed women to vote for Hamas in the 2006 legislative elections, showing the need to enhance and renew women’s presence in Fatah’s leadership. This led Fatah’s Sixth Congress in 2013 to issue recommendations to promote women’s representation in the movement.
According to Article 116 of Fatah’s bylaws, “Women shall be represented in all the leadership frameworks of the movement, and leadership bodies shall guarantee them 20% at least such that this does not conflict with the applicability of texts and organizational criteria.”
However, the bylaws and recommendations have not been implemented, pointing to the marginalization of women in decision-making circles.
