PNI Strongly Condemns Decision to Curtail Women’s Representation in PLC

30 August 2005

The PNI strongly condemns the Palestinian Legislative Council’s decision to destroy one of the most important vehicles for promoting and protecting the rights of Palestinian women: the guarantee that a minimum of 20% of representatives in the Legislative Council and in local councils must be women.

The denial of this right, as written into the election law, will further curtail the participation of half of society from the most important positions of leadership, lawmaking, and state planning.

The PNI calls on President Mahmoud Abbas not to approve the modification.  It disrespects the sacrifices that Palestinian women have made and their critical role in building Palestinian society.  The Palestinians have a chance to lead by example in an exemplary democratic way.  With decisions like this, the PLC is squandering that chance.  The PNI calls on all women’s organizations and political parties to pressure the Legislative Council not to approve the modification.

A proposal such as this belies the Palestinian government’s remoteness from the views and concerns of ordinary Palestinians.  It demonstrates the fact that the Legislative Council has long lost its mandate to rule the Palestinian people due to its frequent postponements of democratic elections.