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The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation

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I got out <strong>of</strong> Gaza in 2007. I still had my career there <strong>and</strong> I loved Gaza,<br />

but it felt like living in a jail, <strong>and</strong> I imagined that after the Hamas takeover,<br />

it would be even harder. In the mosques, Hamas announced the<br />

vic<strong>to</strong>ry over secularism <strong>and</strong> the PLO, <strong>and</strong> I had criticized Hamas openly,<br />

so I was personally in danger.<br />

Enough is enough, <strong>and</strong> as we had a residency in the West Bank, I left<br />

with my child. My husb<strong>and</strong> had <strong>to</strong> wait four more months <strong>to</strong> get his permit.<br />

We moved <strong>to</strong> Ramallah, had <strong>to</strong> find new friends <strong>and</strong> <strong>to</strong> establish<br />

new pr<strong>of</strong>essional lives.<br />

I became an member <strong>of</strong> IWC in 2005. It’s a way <strong>to</strong> prove <strong>to</strong> myself that<br />

I am involved in the struggle for peace, <strong>and</strong> I keep my values by working<br />

with IWC. Is currently the only group in which I am active.<br />

Interview: Birgit Daiber, Ramallah, May 25, 2010.<br />

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