Conflict, Civil Society, and Women's Empowerment: Insights from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Women in conflict zones face steep challenges, but the stereotypical view that women are unable to act politically in the Middle East is a long way from the truth. Ibrahim Natil shines a spotlight on how young Palestinian women work through civil society organizations (CSOs) to improve their communities and their own resilience and empowerment. CSOs respond rapidly to the needs of the population by delivering social, health, cultural, and educational services, and young Palestinian womens engagement with CSOs strengthens cooperation, communication, and cross-fertilization between CSO groups, increasing their agency.

Format: Hardback
Length: 144 pages
Publication date: 13 April 2021
Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited

Women in conflict zones face steep challenges, and nowhere is this clearer than in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, regions that face reduced foreign aid, foreign occupation, violence, instability, ingrained social conservatism, and perpetual political crisis. Yet, the stereotypical view that women are unable to act politically in the socially conservative contexts of the Middle East is a long way from the truth. Here, Ibrahim Natil shines a spotlight on how young Palestinian women work through civil society organizations (CSOs) to improve their communities and their own resilience and empowerment. He first outlines the impact of CSOs upon peaceful struggle, human rights, and community development relief assistance, highlighting how CSOs respond rapidly to the needs of the population by delivering social, health, cultural, and educational services to all sectors of society during humanitarian crises. He then asks how empowered Palestinian women contribute to CSO missions and how CSO missions reciprocally contribute to Palestinian womens empowerment. Ultimately, young Palestinian womens engagement with CSOs proves to strengthen cooperation, communication, and cross-fertilization between CSO groups, which in turn increases these young womens agency.
This is a little-known success story that makes for required reading for scholars of development, peace studies, conflict resolution, and conflict strategy, and which will inspire womens rights activists around the globe. The book provides a comprehensive analysis of the challenges faced by women in conflict zones, particularly in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It highlights the reduced foreign aid, foreign occupation, violence, instability, ingrained social conservatism, and perpetual political crisis that these regions face, which make it difficult for women to participate in political and social life.
Despite these challenges, the book shows that women in these regions are not powerless. Instead, they are using CSOs to improve their communities and their own resilience and empowerment. Natil outlines how young Palestinian women are working through CSOs to deliver social, health, cultural, and educational services to all sectors of society during humanitarian crises. He also explores how CSOs are contributing to peaceful struggle, human rights, and community development relief assistance.
One of the key findings of the book is that CSOs are providing a platform for women to participate in political and social life. By working through CSOs, women are able to access resources, networks, and knowledge that can help them to advocate for their rights and to participate in decision-making processes. CSOs are also providing a space for women to build their skills and to develop their leadership abilities.
In addition, the book shows that CSO missions reciprocally contribute to Palestinian womens empowerment. By delivering social, health, cultural, and educational services to all sectors of society, CSOs are helping to improve the health and well-being of women and their families. They are also providing opportunities for women to participate in economic activities, which can help to reduce poverty and to improve their economic security.
The book also highlights the importance of cross-fertilization between CSO groups. By working together, CSO groups are able to share resources, knowledge, and expertise, which can help to improve the effectiveness of their missions and to achieve greater impact. This cross-fertilization can also help to build stronger networks and to strengthen the capacity of CSO groups to advocate for womens rights and to promote social change.
Overall, Conflict, Civil Society, and Womens Empowerment: Insights from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip is a valuable contribution to the literature on womens rights and development. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the challenges faced by women in conflict zones and shows how CSOs are providing a platform for women to participate in political and social life and to contribute to their own resilience and empowerment. The book will inspire womens rights activists around the globe and will be of interest to scholars and practitioners working in the field of development, peace studies, conflict resolution, and conflict strategy.

Weight: 340g
Dimension: 160 x 238 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781800710610