The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation

night and go to the beach. Electricity was functioning, constructions projects
and building activities of all kinds took place everywhere. There
was an active Authority, an active civil society, a legislative system was
established, the first elections were held, and I became an activist, particularly
for women’s rights.
Before moving to Gaza, we had asked my husband’s uncle if I would
have to wear a scarf in Gaza, and denied, I wouldn’t. With the new Au -
thority, and the arrival of PLO people, who felt safe there, the Hamas
lost ground, and women started to take off head-scarves in the cities.
However, even in 1996, I was working in a refugee camp, and children
threw stones at me because I was not wearing a scarf. I turned to them
and tried to explain that there are different styles and people.
We worked very hard for civil society; we worked on the laws and
started campaigns. And we lived our lives.
With the beginning of the Second Intifada in 2000, thousands of people
protested in the streets of Gaza. Eventually, the Israelis were more brutal,
and the Intifada became more militant. During the first air bombings,
I was alone at home with my father and we heard huge explosions. We
knew this sound already from the Beirut bombings. We went out of the
house to help people who had never experienced bombing; we brought
children and adults to our house. The bombings continued and people
got used to it. There were no shelters, nothing, and as in Beirut, people
went in the streets and onto the balconies to watch the planes and
rockets coming down.
In 2001, I got the chance to leave Gaza for a while to go to Jordan. On
the December 31, 2001, I got the news that I was pregnant. When I still
got back to Gaza, we were heard that Ariel Sharon had come to power.
I placed the bag my mother prepared for us by the doorway, in case we
should have to leave instantly. For me, Ariel Sharon meant the war in
Lebanon, the bombing of civilians, and the Sabra and Shatila massacre.
There was breaking news on Al Jazeera about the first bombings after
Ariel Sharon came to power. All relatives in the outside world called me
to calm me down. I gave birth to my son in August 2002 in the Gaza
Red Crescent hospital.
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