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The Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center, the National Society for Rehabilitation and the National Coalition “My Right” launch the Project “Partners for Equity, Partners for Change” supported by the European Union

Ramallah & Gaza, 29/10/2024: The Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center, in partnership with the National Society for Rehabilitation and the National Coalition “My Right”, launched the “Partners for Equity, Partners for Change” project, in Ramallah and Gaza yesterday. The project, funded by the European Union, was inaugurated in the presence of Mr. Ibrahim Laafia, Head of Cooperation at the Office of the European Union Representative (West Bank & Gaza Strip, UNRWA), and representatives from civil society organizations, official institutions, and higher education institutions.

The project aims at enhancing Palestinian civil society organizations’ contribution to advancing equal rights and opportunities in Palestine, in particular the socio-economic rights of women and persons with disabilities.

The project will work to strengthen the capacities of women’s civil society organizations and other member organizations of the National Coalition “My Right” in strengthening the economic, social, and cultural rights of women, including women with disabilities, increasing the awareness and knowledge of the youth, and engaging them in promoting labor rights, as well as the social and economic rights of women and women with disabilities. Additionally, the project will foster cooperation and dialogue between grassroots civil society organizations and governmental institutions in order to create an enabling environment for women’s work, improve civil society monitoring, and advocate for national bodies to fulfill their commitments towards enhancing the social and economic rights of women and women with disabilities.

The project targets 300 members, activists, and representatives of the designated civil society organizations. It also seeks to engage and benefit 12,000 women and men in the targeted communities through its activities, including at least 6,000 youth and 200 persons with disabilities. Additionally, the project will facilitate dialogue with 100 decision-makers, officials, and employees from key ministries and relevant governmental institutions at the national, regional, and local levels.

In her address on behalf of the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center, the Center’s Financial and Administrative Director, Mrs. Sana Asbah, welcomed the attendees and participants at the project launch event in the West Bank, with others joining via Zoom from the Gaza Strip. She expressed DWRC’s high appreciation for the ongoing support from the European Union, which has contributed to the successful implementation of previous projects aimed at strengthening the role of Palestinian civil society. She added: “Through our programs and the ‘Partners for Equity, Partners for Change’ project, we look forward to working towards justice, equality, and equity for women in all fields of life. We aim to have supportive laws and legislation that protect women’s rights, and lead to providing creative and innovative elements for success, along with a supportive environment and empowerment programs.”

For his part, Mr. Ibrahim Laafia, Head of Cooperation at the Office of the European Union Representative at the European Union Representative Office (West Bank & Gaza Strip, UNRWA), thanked the project organizers and the attendees, who represent the strength of cooperation and partnership between Palestinian civil society institutions and the European Union and Palestine.

He said that “the launch of the project today is important for us at the European Union, as we place great importance on our partnership with Palestine and Palestinian civil society, especially since one of the goals of this partnership is to enhance the role of women in society, the labor market, and all levels, so that they can play their role as a fundamental actor in building society and a prosperous economy”.

In his speech via Zoom, Mr. Jamal Al-Rozzi, Director of the National Society for Rehabilitation, said that “the project’s value stems from the fact that the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center works to empower people to attain their rights, including persons with disabilities, while our association works on the inclusion of persons with disabilities and granting them their rights to social and economic justice.” He added that “the project was designed before the war in Gaza, but it will contribute to bringing persons with disabilities and women to social justice and providing them with opportunities to access the labor market with dignity and equality.”

Mrs. Muyassar Waqad, Director of the Women’s Center in Ain Sultan Camp and representative of the “My Right” National Coalition, said that “the coalition was formed in partnership with a group of grassroots and civil society organizations to empower women, whose social and economic rights are violated. She added that the coalition has managed to build strategic capacities and will work on implementing real programs on the ground, not just advocacy, and will highlight women, their struggles, and the inappropriate working environment.”

This project, which will be implemented until January 2028, is supported by the European Union through a grant of 760,491 EUR through the Thematic Programme for Civil Society Organizations under the Neighborhood Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI)

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and Gaza’s Crisis

On International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2024, Palestinians face famine and unprecedent poverty levels due to the Israeli Occupying Power measures.

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, observed on October 17, reminds us of the global need to unite efforts to fight poverty. However, in Gaza and the West Bank, the situation has worsened dramatically in the past year.

A May 2024 World Bank Report indicated that half a million jobs had been lost by the Palestinian economy since October 2023. This includes an estimated loss of 200,000 jobs in the Gaza Strip, 144,000 jobs in the West Bank, and 148,000 by Palestinians from the West Bank employed in the Israeli labor market.

A further World Bank Update of September 2024 indicates that the economic and social conditions in Palestine have deteriorated to the extent that nearly the entire population of Gaza living in poverty. It also indicates that in the West Bank, a sharp economic contraction since late 2023 has caused a dramatic rise in poverty, with the short-term poverty rate more than doubling from 12% to 28% by mid-2024. These trends indicate a deepening crisis with long-term repercussions for the population.

In Gaza, 2.3 million Palestinians have been trapped by Israel for over a year in an active war zone subjected to constant bombings, shelling, destruction of housing, infrastructure and healthcare facilities, displaced over and over again, with no hope for safety from harm even while being treated in hospitals. Due to severe Israeli restrictions imposed on goods and supplies allowed into Gaza, and total blockades of all of the Gaza Strip or parts of it (at the moment, northern Gaza), all Gaza residents have been exposed to famine conditions, and some of its most vulnerable have starved to death. Thus, the latest UN-partnered IPC report indicates that 96% of the population, approximately 2.15 million people, are experiencing acute food insecurity at a “crisis” level or higher, categorized as level three on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) index.

On this day, as the world focuses on ending poverty, it is crucial to recognize that in Gaza and the West Bank, and the surrounding region, this can only be achieved through upholding international law, and mobilizing all efforts to achieve peace, justice and prosperity, starting with the imposition of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, and a clear plan to end the illegal Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.

DWRC statement on the occasion of World Teachers Day 2024

On the occasion of #WorldTeachersDay, celebrated on October 5, the Democracy and Workers’ Rights would like to highlight some facts and figures provided by the Palestinian Ministry of Education that show the devastating impact of one year of war on #Gaza waged with total and flagrant disregard of the most fundamental norms of international humanitarian law.

We denounce #Israel‘s systematic destruction of the Palestinian education system in Gaza in blatant violation of the Geneva conventions. Over 530 educational staff & 11,109 students at Palestinian schools & universities in #Gaza have been killed since October 2023, and over 3675 staff and 17639 students injured.

We also denounce constant attacks against educational facilities in the West Bank, especially against schools that serve Bedouin & herding communities against whom the Israeli occupying power, in collusion with and/or through protecting the actions of armed Israeli settlers, is implementing a plan of accelerated ethnic cleansing.

In addition to the numerous rules that prohibit the targeting of civilians, civilian objects and facilities, the 4th Geneva Convention also stipulates that “The Occupying Power shall, with the co-operation of the national and local authorities, facilitate the proper working of all institutions devoted to the care and education of children”. (art. 50). Yet in Gaza, educational facilities and school have been subject to massive destruction and damage through Israeli bombing and shelling, including while providing shelter to displaced persons. For the second year on a row, teachers and students were unable to return to their classrooms. In the West Bank, schools and universities have also been subjected to attacks and vandalism. There is no safe work environment for Palestinian teachers, not in the Gaza Strip and not in the West Bank. Yet, they all persevere in their noble educational mission. In Gaza, teaching takes place online and in educational points set up for this purpose until formal education can be resumed. In the West Bank, where governmental teachers have not been paid their full wages for months, teachers and administrators do their best under extremely difficult circumstances to ensure that schools, training centers and higher education institutions continue to educate Palestine’s children and youth, and provide vocational training and continuous education opportunities to adults.

We salute all the courageous teachers, who brave the dangers of arrest, injury and death, to show up every day in their classrooms and hold class in the worst of conditions, and all the other dedicated staff of educational institutions. We call for continued solidarity and action from the international labor movement and global unions to protect Palestinian teachers and other educational institutions staff, uphold international law and bring perpetrators of violations to justice.

#WorldTeachersDay2024

Training course on professional health and safety standards, workplace injuries, and first aid procedures, conducted by DWRC

Ramallah’s Commerce and Industry Department and the Governorate of Al-Bireh completed a training course on professional health and safety standards, workplace injuries, and first aid procedures.
Ramallah’s Commerce and Industry Department and the Governorate of Al-Bireh conducted a training course on occupational health and safety standards, workplace injuries, and first aid procedures.

The three-day seminar had 28 participants representing Palestinian establishments in Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate. The sessions were led by legal consultant Samah Fraikhneh from the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center, who over two days offered exceptional training on professional safety and health regulations, workplace injury laws, and decisions regarding occupational health and safety committees and supervisors. On the third day, paramedic Bassam Harish of the Red Crescent Society led the training.

At the end of the training, Mr. Ayman Maimi, Director of the Entrepreneurship and Business Development Center at the Chamber of Commerce, and Ms. Huwida Ahmed, Coordinator of the Legal Department at the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center, handed out certificates to the participants.

DWRC Statement on the Occasion of Int. Day of World Patient Safety Day.

On September 17, World Patient Safety Day aims to raise global awareness about the importance of patient safety in healthcare. In Palestine, this year’s focus is mainly affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis due to the Israel’s war on Gaza and military operations in the West Bank. In this context, primary concerns for patient safety are about ensuring access to basic medical care and protecting health infrastructure from damage or restoring its functionality as fast as possible after attacks.

Gaza’s healthcare system is on the brink of collapse due to the blockade and repeated Israeli attacks against health facilities, staff and vehicles. With more than 100,000 casualties as reported by OCHA, the healthcare system is overwhelmed by the massive loads of patients, far exceeding its capacity. According to OCHA, health facilities are severely compromised, with 58% of hospitals non-functional, and those still operating are at 359% capacity. 885 health care workers have been killed since October 2023 according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which increases the workload on those remaining. Constant attacks on healthcare facilities have severely affected the ability to treat patients, whether they are injured in the conflict or suffering from chronic illnesses. In addition, medical staff are operating under extreme conditions, with hospitals suffering from a lack of electricity, clean water, and adequate sanitation. This has increased the risk of infections, such as sepsis, which is responsible for high mortality rates in conflict zones. For the first time in 25 years, a case of polio has been confirmed and a vast vaccination campaign has been launched in an attempt to vaccinate more than 600,000 children at risk of developing the disease in the Gaza Strip. Around 995,000 cases of acute respiratory infections have been recorded, 577,000 cases of acute watery diarrhea, and 107,000 cases of acute jaundice symptoms. Famine and chronic acute malnutrition increase greatly the risks of diseases and infections.

The war on Gaza has also significantly worsened the situation for patients with chronic diseases, who already faced limited access to healthcare. Before the conflict, around 50% of the population in Gaza depended on the public health system for managing chronic conditions such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. Since October 7, the situation has deteriorated further.

The blockade on Gaza has critically worsened the healthcare crisis by preventing patients with severe injuries and chronic illnesses from leaving the strip for essential medical treatments. According to HRW, before the war, over 2,000 patients were referred annually for specialized care, such as cancer therapies and heart surgeries, which are unavailable locally. However, the ongoing closure of border crossings has trapped thousands of critically injured patients in Gaza’s overwhelmed hospitals, which face severe shortages of specialized care and essential medications. Only 41% of critically injured patients had their requests for evacuation approved, and only 35% have actually been evacuated. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports that 30% of necessary medications for chronic diseases are now inaccessible, leading to an alarming rise in preventable deaths. The combination of war-related destruction and the blockade has plunged Gaza’s healthcare system into a dire humanitarian crisis.

On the other hand, Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons are facing severe neglect in terms of healthcare, with many being denied proper medical treatment, leading to preventable deaths. Reports indicates that prisoners with chronic illnesses or injuries are often left without timely access to hospitals or specialized care, exacerbating their health conditions. This denial of care violates basic human rights and international laws on the treatment of prisoners. On World Patient Safety Day, which emphasizes the importance of safety and access to healthcare for all, it is crucial to highlight the situation of these prisoners. The lack of suitable medical care in prisons directly contravenes the global principles of patient safety and human dignity.

DWRC stands in solidarity with healthcare staff, patients and their families, and strongly condemns the attacks on the Palestinian healthcare system and devastation that has left hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians, including vulnerable patients, without access to essential healthcare. As an organization dedicated to upholding human rights and social justice, we are deeply concerned about the severe impact this conflict has had on Gaza’s already fragile healthcare system, especially on the safety and well-being of patients, as well as the rapid deterioration of access to healthcare in the West Bank due to repeated attacks against medical facilities and vehicles, and isolation of communities.

On World Patient Safety Day, we stress that patient safety is not just about medical care, but also about the protection of essential human rights, including access to life-saving treatment and healthcare during times of war and conflict as guaranteed by the most fundamental rules of international humanitarian law. We call for immediate international action to protect the rights and safety of Gaza’s civilians, particularly patients whose lives depend on consistent medical care. We urge for the lifting of the blockade to allow the evacuation of casualties and access to medical supplies. On this day of global awareness, we would like to emphasize that the right to health is a fundamental human right that must be defended for all.

DWRC holds a workshop to discuss the findings of a study on women’s exposure to violence & harassment in Gaza

Gaza – On 8/08/2024, the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center held a workshop at PNGO office in central Gaza to discuss a field study on “Gender-Based Violence in the World of Work, and the Effects of Israel’s War on Women’s Exposure to Violence & Harassment in the Gaza Strip since October 2023″ conducted by researcher Louay Joudeh for DWRC. The workshop was attended by 35 participants in presence and online.

The field study was conducted with two different samples to capture the situation in workplaces in the Gaza Strip before the start of the war, and the various forms of violence to which women have been exposed since October 7, 2023. The first sample included 203 women in employment before the war in the public sector, the private and non-governmental organizations’ sector, UNRWA, women business owners, self-employed women, and those working in family businesses without financial compensation. The second sample included 200 women, who had been in employment before the war or without employment. Both samples included women with disabilities. The researcher also conducted interviews and focus group meetings to complement the quantitative data.

The study findings indicated that 56.2% of the sample of women in employment before the war experienced violence from a work supervisor or a colleague or another person in the framework of their work before the war. The most common forms of violence women were exposed to were verbal violence (47.4%), followed by economic violence (30.7%) and electronic violence (17.5%), while 4.4% indicated that they were subjected to physical violence. More than half of working women in this sample (64%) said that there are deterrent policies against perpetrators of violence and harassment in the workplace, and 60.8% of them that they are implemented with well-studied and deterrent mechanisms. 30.5% of surveyed working women do not have psychological, physical, material and electronic well-being, organized offices, separate bathrooms and privacy in the workplace. 62.5% of workers surveyed lost their jobs due to the war and its effects, and 81.5% said they have not received any cash assistance and have not participated in livelihood programs during the war. 83.8% of the women workers in the sample used to earn less than the Palestinian minimum wage of 1880 shekels per month.

93% of the women in the second study sample have been displaced. The vast majority have obtained no services: 80.5% said they received no health services or women hygiene products (none said they do not need them), 91% that they obtained no psychological support services, and 83.5% that they received no legal services. 78% declared there are no safe spaces for women where they have been displaced. 64% of the women surveyed have been exposed to violence in shelters, workplaces, and when receiving aid and other services since the start of the war on Gaza. Half of them experienced verbal violence, 35.8% economic violence, 8.8% physical violence and harassment, and 5.4% electronic violence. Most of them have been subjected to this violence continuously (70.3%). 62% said there were no mechanisms to submit complaints against perpetrators of violence, and 26% said they did not know if there were any such mechanisms. Only 11.7% have submitted complaints against perpetrators of violence and/or harassment, and less than half were satisfied with the outcome (40%). 85.5% of women feel uncomfortable (psychologically, physically, and financially) and face the lack of a sufficient number of separate bathrooms and privacy, where they have been displaced. 93.5% said there is an insufficient number of bathrooms and 72% that there were no specific bathrooms for women.

Findings also indicated that 75.5% of the women surveyed in the second study sample have been exposed to violence by the Israeli occupying power since the war has started. Women were exposed to multiple forms of violence; 95.3% had their homes destroyed, 62.3% lost children and relatives, 62.3% lost their jobs, 49.7% were subjected to ill-treatment by the Israeli occupation, 35.9% were injured, 14.6% were exposed to other forms of violence (psychological violence due to communications from the Israeli occupation, physical violence, deprivation from medical care and food), and 13.2% were detained.

A first set of recommendations concerns steps needed to improve women’s situation in the world of work and address violence and harassment. Such steps include activating workplace policies and holding perpetrators of violence accountable, having effective complaints mechanisms, and ensuring the implementation of the minimum wage in the Gaza Strip. All women, who have lost their jobs or means of earning an income due to the war, should be financially compensated for the loss of their source of livelihood to ensure their right to live in dignity. A second set of recommendations concerns steps for protecting women from heightened levels of violence since the war started; these include intensifying efforts to ensure that women have access to basic services and amenities, developing protection mechanisms and encouraging women to lodge complaints. The study also mentioned the importance of filing complaints at the international level against the Israeli occupying power, which has perpetrated multiple forms of violence against Palestinian women, and seeking compensation for the victims.

This study is part of the project for “Contributing to Gender Justice and Women’s Human Rights in the Middle East” implemented in partnership with Fundació Pau i Solidaritat – CCOO Catalunya and funded by the Government of Catalonia and the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation.

The Democracy and Workers Rights Center (DWRC) and its partner organizations organize a policy dialogue session on fostering the rights of women with disabilities in the world of work

Ramallah, 30/05/2024 – The Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center, in cooperation with EducAid, and in coordination with the National Coalition for Advocating for Women’s Right to Decent Work, the “My Right” Coalition, implemented on May 29, 2024, a policy dialogue session on the rights of women with disabilities in the world of work, which aimed at highlighting the opportunities and challenges facing women with disabilities, how to improve their employment opportunities, and the importance of supporting official bodies and society in providing decent and safe job opportunities to women with disabilities. Among the session’s recommendations participants addressed the need to activate the existing governmental programs to develop the work environment for all types and levels of disability; for the General Personnel Council to mandate governmental institutions to develop facilitating measures to help persons with disabilities to access job opportunities and then carry out related tasks; developing the transportation system and ensuring that persons with disabilities can access training and rehabilitation centers, and workplaces; work to provide more detailed information about the status of persons with disabilities and their employment; raise community awareness to create an inclusive culture of people with disabilities; inclusion of persons with disabilities in cooperatives; harmonize the legislation, policies, and programs in line with the needs of people with disabilities.

Media researcher, Ms. Lubna Al-Ashqar, opened the session by stating that the participation rate of women with disabilities in the Palestinian labor market, does not exceed 4%. Ms. Hadeel Shehadeh, from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, addressed challenges facing women with disabilities in relation to employment in the private sector including law wages, and the public sector including the weak capabilities of governmental institutions in dealing with various forms of disabilities. She said: “it is important to address gaps in relation to absence of enabling measures that allow persons with disabilities to perform their duties at work, which negatively reflect on their ability to qualify for certain benefits and promotions”. She added: “in 2022, there were 1,055 female and male governmental employees with disabilities, but that there are no women with disabilities in senior positions”.

Mrs. Abeer Hamad, representative of the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center, spoke about the most important obstacles and challenges facing persons with disabilities in different life aspects, and shared through a video successful experiences related to vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with mental disabilities, including women, in Palestinian factories, and employers’ positive evaluation of their employees. Mrs. Lama Awad, Head of the Gender Unit at the Ministry of Labor and Rapporteur of the National Committee for Women’s Employment, began her intervention by stressing “the necessity of working with the General Personnel Bureau and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics to provide detailed data about persons with disabilities, especially women with disabilities, employed in the governmental sector, and to work in a participatory manner and through complementary roles” and involve the private sector in creating jobs for persons with disabilities. She presented the most important obstacles and challenges facing governmental departments in developing policies and systems to protect and integrate persons with disabilities, as well as the challenges facing persons with disabilities in the public sector. She indicated that there is progress fostering access to job opportunities in the governmental sector through allocating special jobs and advertisements for persons with disabilities. She talked about the creation of a National Technical and Vocational Education and Training Commission (NTC) and pointed to the opportunity to provide comments and suggestions to be included in its system and policies to ensure the activation of its role in supporting access and integration of people with disabilities in education and vocational training. Ms. Nibal Abu Hijleh, Director of the Lending Department at the Palestinian Employment Fund, said: “the Fund’s role and programs aimed at creating job opportunities and fostering professional development and self-employment through providing grants and soft loans”. She added: “we have specific mechanism for supporting the income-generating projects of persons with disabilities”.Mr. Ibrahim Burnat from EducAid gave a brief introduction about the organization, its activities, and its programs in support of persons with disabilities. Then, Ms. Amira Abu Arqoub and Ms. Walaa Al-Jamal, two women with disabilities, talked about their successful experiences of working for the organization, the challenges and obstacles they faced, and the mechanism for overcoming them.

This event is part of the project: “Gender Equality in the Economic Sphere: Our Right, Our Priority”, which is implemented by DWRC in partnership with Italian NGOs, COSPE and EducAid, and the Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development (PWWSD), and is funded by the European Union.

On the occasion of May Day 2024, DWRC calls on workers and unions worldwide to strengthen their solidarity actions with their Palestinians sisters and brothers facing an existential threat amidst Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza and brutal repression in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem

Ramallah – 1 May 2024 – As workers worldwide have commemorated May Day by reaffirming their demands for the respect of their fundamental rights, Palestinian workers have continued to experience death, injury, displacement, fear and the inability to care for and protect their families. This May Day, we have been mourning thousands of professionals in key sectors for the Palestinian economy and Palestinian society, in health, education, culture, the media, sports, law and engineering, and many other professions and occupations. As many remain buried under the rubble, mass graves continue to be uncovered, and findings of attempts at identification and investigations are pending, the true extent of these unbearable losses and the crimes that have been committed against Palestinians in Gaza, including health workers, are yet to be brought to light. Devastating losses have also been accompanied by a worsening of the socio-economic situation in the entire occupied Palestinian territories, as Israeli repression, collective punishment and colonization policies have increased significantly in the West Bank, adding yet more brutality to an already highly coercive environment aimed at forcing Palestinians to leave their lands.

Since October 7, 2023, the unemployment rate among the Palestinian labor force has risen sharply, from an average of 24% before the war to an estimated 50% or more in the first months of 2024. Latest ILO estimates based on data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) were that the number of unemployed reached over half a million as of January 31st, 2024. As most of the Gaza Strip has been turned to rubble during seven months of relentless Israeli bombings, shelling and ground assaults, 201,000 jobs or 71% of employment had been estimated as lost in Gaza, as well as 306,000 jobs in the West Bank. The closure of the Israeli labor market to most West Bank workers has caused an immediate and exponential increase of unemployment among male workers. PCBS indicated that the percentage of West Bank wage workers employed in Israel and Israeli settlements dropped from 26.6% in the third quarter of 2023 to 5% in the fourth quarter of 2023. The number of employed persons in the local market in the West Bank decreased by about 8% and the percentage of wage workers paid less than the Palestinian minimum wage, which is over three times lower than the Israeli minimum wage, increased from 12% to 15%. It should be noted that 45% of women wage workers in the West Bank were paid less than the minimum wage in 2022, compared to 13% of men. The current situation is likely to exacerbate issues inherent to the Palestinian labor market, which is a captive market subject to the whims and policies of the Israeli Occupying Power, such low labor market participation of women, high unemployment among women and youth, especially the most educated, low wages in local establishments and feminized occupations, and high informality of employment. In the fourth quarter of 2023, informal employment concerned 56% of employed persons in the West Bank.

Already prior to the current war on Gaza, Israel’s decades-long regime of settler-colonial occupation and apartheid, financed and armed by the US, doomed the Palestinian economy to stagnation at best, and recurrent phases of de-development, and robbed Palestinian workers of having their own sovereign and democratic state that can be held accountable for its social and economic policies. Despite the bitter losses, the shattered dreams and the failure of the international community to protect the most basic rights of Palestinians and enforce international law, more than ever, Palestinian workers aspire to and are determined to achieve freedom and independence in their homeland.

DWRC calls on workers and unions worldwide, labor movements and parties, to stand with the Palestinian people to stop this genocidal war, forced displacement and ethnic cleansing, and end Israel’s settler-colonial occupation, which cannot and should not continue to be accepted as if it were a “fait accompli”.  

We are deeply grateful to all those, who have been speaking up and holding solidarity actions for the past months. Your engagement is an engagement for peace and humanity, and it will not be forgotten. We call on those, who have been silent, to join them. International human rights and humanitarian law must be upheld at all times and in all circumstances. We demand nothing more, and nothing less.  

On the occasion of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2024, DWRC reiterates its call for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and highlights the need for providing protection to Palestinian workers, particularly media and humanitarian workers

Ramallah – 28 April 2024 – Since October 7, 2023, the occupied Palestinian territories and in particular the Gaza Strip have become the most dangerous and deadliest place on earth for journalists and media workers, health workers, civil defense workers, United Nations staff members, and humanitarian aid workers in general, on and off duty. There have been numerous incidents of journalists, paramedics, other health professionals and relief aid workers being directly and deliberately targeted by the Israeli armed forces, while performing their professional duties of reporting about the situation or attempting to save lives, and being subject to various forms of abuse, including during military assaults and occupation of hospitals. In fact, WHO has reported 435 health attacks in the Gaza Strip and 421 in the West Bank by April 2nd, 2024. Off duty, the continued indiscriminate bombing and shelling of civilian facilities, including hospitals, homes and designated shelters for displaced persons have caused hundreds of deaths among professionals in these sectors, as well as many other vital sectors in the Gaza Strip. Thousands have been injured, and hundreds have been forcibly disappeared by the Israeli occupying forces. Those who have been released after being held incommunicado for varying periods of times have given horrifying accounts of torture and systematic mistreatment of detainees, which are substantiated by the physical state of released detainees, often extremely emaciated and suffering from various injuries.

Utter disrespect for the rules of international humanitarian law by the Israeli Occupying Power has caused an unprecedented number of casualties among media professionals and humanitarian workers. This sets an extremely dangerous precedent that could have negative consequences for all workers operating in conflict and war zones. UN OCHA has reported that at least 251 aid workers had been killed since October 7, 2023, including 245 Palestinians and 6 foreign nationals. These include: 183 UN staff (UNRWA: 180; WHO: 1; UNDP: 1; UNOPS: 1), 27 Palestinian Red Crescent Society staff and volunteers, including 17 killed while on duty, and at least 41 other aid workers. In addition, 490 health workers have been killed, and 310 forcibly disappeared according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. The same sources indicate that 67 civil defense staff have been killed on duty, and 140 journalists and media workers.

Other professions have also registered terrible losses. The Ministry of Education and Higher Education has reported that 296 educational staff of schools and 90 staff members of universities have been killed, and that over 1990 have been injured. The Ministry of Culture and PCBS indicated that 45 writers, artists, and cultural heritage activists had been killed by mid-March 2024. While the total number of legal professionals killed remains unknown, on International Women’s Day, the Bar Association mourned 10 Palestinian female lawyers killed in Gaza. Fishermen and farmers are trying to continue or resume their work amidst an acute lack of food for Gaza’s population despite the constant risk of being killed or injured by Israeli fire. 

Due to heightened Israeli repression, military operations and Israeli settler attacks (under full protection of the Israeli occupying forces) against Palestinians and their property, workers are not safe either in the West Bank, particularly since Israeli soldiers and civilians enjoy a near total impunity for any acts committed against Palestinians. The hundreds of checkpoints, metal gates, cement blocks and earth barriers erected by the Israeli Occupying Power between Palestinian localities and at all their entrances considerably restrict the movement of Palestinians within the occupied West Bank and render any trip, including to and from work, a lengthy and unsafe ordeal; access to East Jerusalem has become almost impossible for Palestinian ID holders. Daily Israeli incursions and recurrent military operations into Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps have resulted in widespread damages and destruction of infrastructure, businesses and homes. A rapid assessment conducted by DWRC with workers in the West Bank in March 2024 indicated that half the respondents have faced restrictions in commuting to and from their workplaces, 24.6% reported having been targeted or deliberately attacked by Israeli soldiers, and 10.6% reported being assaulted by Israeli occupation soldiers at work or in their workplace. Between October 7, 2023, and 31 March 31st, 2024, OCHA recorded 1,096 settler attacks against Palestinians. Farmers, herding and Bedouin communities are particularly at risk of being attacked to force them to leave their lands. Many farmers were prevented from harvesting their olive trees last autumn, while one olive farmer was killed. Since October 7, 2023, 23 herding and Bedouin communities, comprising 1,227 people, including 494 children, have been forcibly displaced (OCHA).

This year’s chosen theme for the World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2024 was climate change and safety and health at work. Sadly, this is not a topic we are able to focus on right now. Palestinian workers may face the impact and consequences of the climate change crisis too, especially as its effects are exacerbated by the Israeli Occupying Power’s confiscation of Palestinian land and other natural resources, and the environmental pollutions and degradation generated by decades of occupation and military operations, including the devastating effects of the current war, but right now, Palestinian workers are facing a survival crisis. In Gaza, the vast majority of homes (60%) and workplaces have been destroyed or damaged, as well as key water, sanitation and solid waste disposal infrastructure, causing an acute lack of access to clean drinking water and the rapid spread of waterborne and infectious diseases, such as diarrhea, hepatitis A, and chickenpox, particularly among over 1.3 million displaced persons living in overcrowded and sweltering tents or self-built shelters in makeshift sites in southern Gaza. Chronic to acute malnutrition and the destruction of most of the healthcare facilities render people, especially young children, the elderly and the ill, particularly vulnerable to disease outbreaks. The Israeli Occupying Power has also created an increasingly coercive environment in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, aiming at accelerating the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians through making it impossible for them to live and earn a livelihood in safety and dignity.

Therefore, we call upon the international community to take immediate measures to impose a ceasefire in Gaza and provide international protection to the Palestinian people in the entire occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem. The international community should ensure that the rules of international humanitarian law are applied by enforcing sanctions for systematic and grave violations, including those that are committed against media and humanitarian workers, and end Israel’s impunity that has made such widespread violations possible. We also call on trade unions and civil society worldwide to continue mobilizing in solidarity and support of Palestinian workers, and to advocate for enhanced protections for workers in conflict/war situations, particularly media and humanitarian workers.

The Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center signs MoU with Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Ramallah

Monday, 25/03/2024 – The Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center represented by its general director Hasan Al Barghouthi, signed a MoU with Chamber of Commerce and Industry/Ramallah represented by its general director Salah Husein. Through this agreement, both parties agreed on conducting joint interventions and awareness activities in order to spread the awareness among workers and employers about legal and labor rights as guaranteed by the Palestinian legal regulations. joint activities will include the implementation of legal and awareness meetings and field visits and capacity building training courses.