VZCZCXRO3301
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #1977 2631608
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 201608Z SEP 07
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9079
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC PRIORITY

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 001977 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/WATERS, NEA/PI 
FOR KIRBY/PATTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: IS KPAL KWBG PGOV PREL KDEM KMPI KPAO
PHUM.EAID 
SUBJECT: FEMALE MUNCIPAL AND VILLAGE COUNCIL MEMBERS 
DISCUSS OBSTACLES TO WORK 
 
 
¶1.  Summary. Twelve female Palestinian elected members of 
municipal and village councils gathered on September 9, for 
an International Republican Institute-sponsored workshop on 
local governance and preparing project proposals.  The 
members identified gender discrimination and inadequate 
resources to fund local organizations and infrastructure 
projects as problems that they face. End Summary. 
 
Miftah Program: Training Women Political Leaders 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶2.      Through a grant to the International Republican 
Institute (IRI), NEA/PI supports Miftah, a Palestinian NGO 
that trains elected and civil society female leaders.  With 
the commencement of additional funding, the Miftah program 
resumed in early September to train on advocacy, lobbying, 
time management and governance and to hold public meetings in 
Hebron, Ramallah, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Tulkerem.  MEPI 
coordinator attended a September 9 Jerusalem training on 
governance and project proposal preparation for twelve 
elected local council members.  All twelve women were 
muhajiba (covered their hair), and most were 45-60 years old. 
 Several had campaigned for their positions, while others 
were encouraged (because of their local activism or civil 
society work) to fill slots created by the quota system. 
(Note: for the 2004 and 2005 municipal council elections, the 
Palestinian Authority instituted a quota of a minimum of two 
seats for women per council.) 
 
Training Content: Democratic Governance 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶3.      The training's first hour provided an overview of 
democratic governance, including the separation of power, 
each branch's role in a democratic system, and 
municipal-national issues.  The women listened to the 
presentation attentively and asked questions.  In the second 
hour, trainers addressed municipal level issues and 
representatives' rights and duties.  Participants discussed 
creating and publicizing budgets to identify any shortfall or 
excess of funds. Several participants complained about the 
law requiring the Ministry of Local Governance (MoLG) 
approval for local projects.  Participants said requiring 
MoLG project approval is unnecessary and inefficient, as the 
MoLG is not in touch with local needs and takes too long to 
approve a project, if it responds at all.  Several 
participants expressed an interest in seeing the current law 
amended to empower local councils. 
 
Lively Discussion of Gender 
Discrimination and Fatah-Hamas Conflict 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.      The discussion was liveliest when the female council 
members described discrimination from their male colleagues, 
including being excluded from council meetings.  They said 
male colleagues sometimes think they cannot contribute to 
discussion of certain issues (i.e., infrastructure and 
sewage) and do not include them in meetings on these issues. 
Some women elected by the quota said their fathers or 
brothers are invited to council meetings in their place. 
 
¶5.  Some women council members also said the Fatah-Hamas 
conflict prevents local councils from functioning 
effectively.  A member of the Jaba municipal council, made up 
of five Hamas and four Fatah members, said the council has 
not met in six months, although councils should meet at least 
four times per month. 
 
Seeking Donor Funding for Small Projects 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.     The council members were most interested in how to 
prepare proposals for foreign funding of local development 
projects, such as small income generation enterprises and 
computer training for women, and complained that the PA 
provides local councils little money. 
 
¶7.     Comment: While participants seemed to welcome the 
lesson on governance and the opportunity to air common 
grievances, this training would have been more useful to 
participants if it had focused more on practical steps that 
women council members can take to address gender 
discrimination and funding gaps. Participants' desire for 
tangible improvements in the lives and prospects of their 
constituents was clear. End Comment. 
WALLES