By Abla Mahmood Abu Abla:  Member of the International Bureau- Palestine

The General Frame:

The Palestinian NGOs have recognized specifications, which are different than other similar NGOs in the Arab countries or the world due to the exceptional imposed actual conditions:

The Palestinian NGOs are active in a territory that is subjugated to Israeli occupation. So, they deal with all the urging necessities to treat the results of the policy of destruction that destroys all the constituents of the Palestinian civil society. Besides, they work through the daily severe pressuring conditions of the occupation as follows:

-         The Judaization of Al-Quds and the continuous attempts to deport the Palestinian residents.

-         The destruction of the Palestinian national economy and attaching it to the Israeli economy in spite of the establishment of the Palestinian national authority in 1993. 

-         Threatening the Palestinians social unity, spiritual values and national culture.

-         Repressing the democratic freedoms and confiscating the civil rights that are issued in the international laws.

These racist policies produced a very difficult human position, which included most categories of the Palestinian people who live under the occupation or in exiles. The Palestinians are threatened and have no social or life security; they suffer the lack of education and health services and the fields of productive work; besides, their human and national rights, in general, are confiscated.

The Palestinian NGOs work through a society that faces a comprehensive strong conflict to win its national independence, establish its independent state on its own territory and defend its existence and civilization, which expands for more than 5000 years before Christ.

Through the above-mentioned hard conditions, the Palestinian NGOs were active during 25 years (1967-1993) in West Bank and Gaza Strip with the absence of a Palestinian national authority, which practices its sovereignty upon its people and land according to a constitution and laws that organize the relation of the Palestinian society with its official and public organizations.

During that period, while the occupation forces controlled all the West Bank and Gaza Strip the Palestinian NGOs were exposed to great pressures by the occupation forces, who observed them continuously and interfered with their work program. Actually, many organizations were closed and their heads were deported out of the country.

A Historical Brief:

Due to the first Palestinian catastrophe in 1948, the civil organizations bared a lot of responsibilities toward the human tragic results. The number of deported refugees by military force to West Bank reached 250.000 persons and to Gaza Strip 160.000 persons during 1948 and 1949 (Miron Benvinsti, “West Bank and Gaza Strip”, revised by Khaled Abed). The big numbers of arriving refugees to the cities and villages of the West Bank added more heavy responsibilities to the civil organizations, which used to be called beneficiary organizations and, until now, many of them still carry the same nomination and significance.

Therefore, in addition to the traditional duties that related to the conditions of the Palestinian people’s living like, illiteracy elimination, improving health conditions, professional training, motherhood and childhood care and others, the civil organizations tolerated more duties later on. They became concerned with first aid treatment, deformed persons of war, orphanages, rehabilitation of homeless girls and submitting urgent food contributions to the refugees.

After the Israeli occupation for the rest of the Palestinian land in 1967, the social positions deteriorated more tragically in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The occupation forces controlled the natural resources, attached the Palestinian weak economy to the Israeli economy, imposed military laws and scattered the Palestinian regions. As a result to this policy, thousands of families became homeless or scattered in addition to a big number of orphans and parentless people and thousands of jobless persons, plus, a political and national emptiness due to the lack of an official national authority.

It was natural that the Palestinian society reacted to the military destructive machine and the laws of the occupation by establishing tens of new civil associations and organizations, which were specified with the human and social emerging duties. This was a peaceful defending reaction to face the racist policies that targeted confiscating the land and emptying it from its original inhabitants. Thus came the emergence of educational organizations to eliminate illiteracy and civil organizations for health care. Also, small workshops were established in an attempt to handle unemployment and the increase of living costs. Lately, new organizations emerged to take care of national heritage and culture. Other organizations were concerned with the position of the arrested people and the families of the martyrs.

The number of organizations increased during the period from 1967 till the end of the eighties in order to include the new emerging duties.

The following table clarifies the number of NGOs in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during twenty years: (“Beneficiary Organizations in the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip” by Abdullah Ahmed Al-Horani, Al-Karmal publication)

A- Taking care of arrested and prisoners’ affairs, as well as, their families:

The beneficiary organizations and unions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip submitted, yearly, winter and summer clothes for the prisoners, plus, sweets and stationary in feasts. They also offered health services and financial contributions to the families of the prisoners. Thus, more than 5000 prisoners benefited from these services in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

B. Illiteracy elimination and educating the adults: (The files of the union of beneficiary societies).

Through the high committee for illiteracy elimination and educating adults, which emerged from district unions, Beerzeit university and Gaza organizations, the beneficiary NGOs participated in full supervision for accumulating the programs of illiteracy elimination in Gaza Strip and West Bank, technically and administratively.

They handled 221 classes of 3351 students, males and females, and 228 teachers, plus 11 technical supervisors. 

C. Nurseries:

The NGOs supervise the related nurseries and handle all that concern nutrition, games, appointing and training teachers. A number of technical related courses were held in the universities of the West Bank. The number of classes reached 300 classes with more than 15.000 children. 

D. The project of health education:

With the cooperation of Catholic Succor Services the district unions started the project of health education. The project included technical courses for teachers to create the competent cadres, who could apply the program of healthy nutrition, childcare, and first aid for mothers and pregnant women in addition to home visits. The number of female teachers, who supervised the project of health education, reached 135 teachers; besides, 20.000 mothers benefited from this project in the West Bank. 

E. Care for disabled and retarded people:

25 beneficiary organizations took care of 1.050 disabled and retarded persons, where health services and food were continuously submitted, as well as, programs of rehabilitations.

F. Health services in the hospitals and beneficiary clinics:

The beneficiary organizations supervised a number of hospitals and clinics and offered free services for the poor people. Presently, there are 8 hospitals and about 60 clinics, where more than 200.000 persons make benefit of these services yearly.

G. Other services submitted by the beneficiary organizations:

The beneficiary organizations established hundreds of workshops for sewing and weaving wool to rehabilitate girls, many orphanages to take care of orphans’ health and education in addition to food, clothes and residency. They also assisted the poor university students to continue their studies.

These NGOs were not restricted to the Palestinian society under the occupation but expanded to include the Palestinian gatherings that live outside occupied Palestine. (A special item will be mentioned later about this subject).

The different categories of the Palestinian people unified through their social organizations in order to create progressing steps forward, to face the policies of, abolition, deportation and denial of human rights, also, to establish a social balance, which was greatly damaged. If the social dynamism for any public depends, mainly, on the political settlement and economical progress through normal and peaceful conditions, the Palestinian people lacked both factors since more than half a century. Accordingly, the social developmental movement retreated many times and was exposed for planned defamation by exploiting a big number of Palestinian people through unproductive activities for the Israeli capitalism. Naturally, the education of resistance and the defense for self-nationality replaced the education of natural development and the progress of laws and legislations. 

The period from 1987-1993: during the first Inifadah, the NGOs continued to have a very important social and precautionary role. They participated in the public committees structure, which defended the districts and inhabitants, organized their daily life, and confronted the continuous siege that attempted starvations, cutting the sources of water, closing schools, arresting big numbers of people in addition to the destructions and crimes caused by the Israeli forces. 

Through the Intifada of 1987, people were capable of organizing their daily affairs under the conditions of daily war that was imposed by the occupation forces. Such capacity of social organizing was supported by the NGOs during more than 20 years; so, they created abnormal capacity among people to have a united organized front that faced the occupation in spite of the greatly imbalanced scales of powers against them.

The main influence of 1987 Intifada was the development of thoughts and ideas of the Palestinian elite in the field of production. (Dr. Izat Abd Al-Hadi, “Some of peoples’ developmental issues”). They started to present the importance of transfer from the resistance struggle to the establishment of effective productive organizations of clear economical goals that pave the way to build the independent Palestinian state. Thus, the different Palestinian circles emphasized the importance of concentration and hard work to establish the Palestinian infrastructure with special attention for the economical construction. If the declaration of independence, which was issued by the Palestinian National Council in 1988, was a historical victory on the political level, it was also a permission to establish a transitional historical step for the Palestinian civil organizations and a modification toward the strategy of social, cultural and economical development. So, they adopted the strategy of self-independence together with all the different political and struggle efforts for building the independent Palestinian state.

Nevertheless, the attitude was directed toward a development for resistance and victory or construction and progress in spite of the destroyed economy and confiscated resources. Through the hard laws of Israeli occupation, the Palestinian NGOs won an extended public legality due to their resistance and important social role. So, more developed and progressed role was demanded from these organizations to assist the build of the Palestinian society and the foundation for a future independent Palestinian state.

At that period, such attitude grew through different Arabic and international political atmosphere; thus, for the first time, the Palestinian national struggle achieved an international legality and the Palestinian dream for self-determination became approachable. Actually, these ideas and incentives were not employed within a comprehensive developmental strategy because of political positions changes and the emerging dramatic influences on the Palestinian issue. Therefore, these developments aborted the prevailed possibilities for the awaited progress by the Palestinian NGOs.

The NGOs through the existence of the Palestinian National Authority in 1993: 

Apart from supporting or opposing the agreement of Oslo and its political results on the Palestinian national level, the positions of NGOs diverged after a long suffer from the occupation laws. Many specialized NGOs were established after 1993. The great activity of the NGOs prove the yarning of the Palestinians to participate with the operation of construction through the existence of a Palestinian authority for the first time in the history of the national Palestinian struggle.

In addition, the new international education and the modern directions of international NGOs activity influenced the Palestinian society, mainly its elite. Thus, there was an attempt to imitate and contact the modern trends. The interest in civil and legal specializations was developed too without cancellation of the civil and historical organizations.

The number of civil organizations became as follows:

- The West Bank: 480 organizations till the beginning of 1999. (The guide of NGOs in the West Bank in 1999, issued by the UN special coordinator office in the occupied territories).

- Gaza Strip: 227 organizations till the beginning of 2001. (The guide of NGOs in Gaza Strip in 2000, issued by the UN special coordinator office in the occupied territories).

These organizations are active in the sectors of agricultural and environmental development, culture and sport, democracy and human rights, economical development, education and health training, rehabilitation, social services, women and child, prisoners and their families and centers of studies. According to the observance of the UN special coordinator office (the guide of NGOs in Gaza Strip in 2001), the number of established NGOs in Gaza from 1993 to 2001 is 125 from 227 organizations and the number of established NGOs in the West Bank from 1993 to 1999 is only 129 from 480 organizations.

The submitted services by the Palestinian NGOs from 1993 to 2000:

The NGOs services raised and varied vertically and horizontally. Due to free move and enthusiasm to assist the operation of construction, the NGOs services included wide social sectors. Also, the NGOs were open to new duties or developed interests like, defending human rights, defending citizens rights, carrying on researches and theoretical and field studies in addition to other services.

In brief, the NGOs were active in the following fields:

- Conserving of environment: wide activities for environmental education, diminution of pollution, distributions of pamphlets about agriculture and sea environment (Gaza), development of modern agricultural samples in Jericho and Gaza, development of small agricultural projects and assisting to solve the problems of agricultural marketing, programs of loans, as well as, the launches of planting in Gaza and Beerzeit.

-The field of heritage and national culture: Many musical and theatrical groups were established and tens of courses of plastic arts and painting were organized. Also, many exhibitions were organized and restarted fashion designs, plus, the development of the outline of stamps and currency to suite the old and present history of Palestine. Moreover, there were the establishment of modern libraries, scientific conferences, heritage festivals and organized programs to contact other children from the Arab world and the rest of the world.

-The field of human rights: the NGOs participated in the international campaigns against the violation of human rights, followed the issues of the arrested people in the prisons of the authority and the occupation forces and defending the rights of the workers. They circulated regular reports about the violations in Arabic and English and broadened consciousness about the human rights among the public; arranged visits to the families of the arrested persons; established legal specialized libraries and organized legal workshops, as well as, nurseries for the children of the arrested people.

- The field of economical development: the NGOs established centers for developing small projects, organizing the operation of agricultural guidance and submitting loans (Jericho and Gaza). Besides, they established centers for animal health care and the preservation of animal wealth. There were projects for giving loans to women and loans for homes’ maintenance and reformation. They established centers for information system education; exchange of youth delegations; participation in Arab and international trade exhibitions, as well as, courses for training hunters (Gaza Strip).

-The field of training and rehabilitation: The NGOs assisted to maintain healthy buildings for the youth and carried on courses for professional rehabilitation; established nurseries that were distributed in all West Bank and Gaza; programs of teaching foreign languages; care and rehabilitation for the disabled; training volunteers for illiteracy elimination; strengthening the organizational capacity; organizing trips to Palestinian cities and villages; establishing libraries, organizing technological courses; programs for training mothers to deal with their children; executing the programs of organizing the family; establishing art schools for training children in Gaza and the West Bank. 

- The field of health: the NGOs submitted health, treatment and precaution services in all the areas of the West Bank and Gaza; executed programs of rehabilitation for the disabled persons, psychological programs for women and children and programs of enlightenment about the danger of drugs. They established centers for physiotherapy and motherhood care and held many health lectures.

Women and Children: in addition to what was mentioned above, the civil organizations developed many related programs to the rights of women and child, which were extended to include the women in the camps, villages and poor districts. The programs that offered loans for women were very much appreciated due to the big and exceptional responsibilities that the Palestinian women endure to sustain their families. Tens of workshops were organized for Palestinian women; in addition, women organizations participated to establish Arab women contacts and international women membership. The interests of women elite were much directed toward enlightenment of rights and the necessity to develop the projects of marital status laws.

Notices and conclusions about the activity of NGOs from 1993 to 2000:

1- The NGOs activities and role flourished in the Palestinian society. They opened new scopes of activity on the cultural and direct financial services’ levels and extended to include many categories of the Palestinian public.

 It is noticeable that the Palestinian field leaderships had accumulated a lot of consciousness about the concept of human development. Actually, the existence of Israeli occupation prevented the operation of development.

This estimation includes the period before the Israeli reoccupation for all the rest of the Palestinian lands in the West Bank at the beginning of April 2001.

At the same time, the Palestinian regions witnessed a wide international interest by world organizations, UN and other international NGOs. These organizations assisted a lot to develop the projects that are included with the above-mentioned achievements.

2- In comparison to other similar NGOs in the other Arab countries or developing countries, the Palestinian civil organizations exceeded their capacity and role. The reason is due to the necessity to deal with the problems of the destructed infrastructure by the occupying forces. In fact, the whole Palestinian public faced the fundamental problems that resulted from the lack of daily services of living. 

3- The NGOs programs were based on the awaited political settlement and the independent Palestinian state. The awaited dream urged the whole operation of construction. Therefore, since the beginning of Inifadah, April 2001, the joyful elusion was destroyed by the Israeli military machines without mercy or respect for the human rights and international laws.

The official organizations of the West Bank were completely destroyed, materially and functionally; besides, tens of public organizations were attacked (the number of the destroyed organizations is not known in this report). On the other hand, tens of these organizations are still effective and submit the emerging services, mainly, in the field of health, social succor and education.

In fact, the development of social and organizational construction’ capacity needs, first of all, a political settlement; otherwise, the services of such organizations will remain restricted to emergency cases like the services that are submitted in the societies of war. 

As Palestinians, we do not want the Palestinian society to continue exposed to this barbaric war, which extended since the beginning of this century till now. We, actually, need a civil society, where its citizens live in the land of their country with an independent state. We want a united Palestinian society to include all the scattered refugees in the whole world and build their new society. At the same time, we know that such goals need new international and Arabic power scales. Thus, the Palestinian NGOs have to plan a developed strategy based on defending the existence of the Palestinian people and their civilization, as well as, their right to have a national independent entity. The strategy should include defending the achievements of NGOs during tens of years and preserving the mechanisms of organizational activity instead of the disturbance and destruction caused by the occupation army day and night without any international deterrent.

The specialized NGOs of refugees inside and outside their country:

After the first catastrophe of 1948, the established NGOs in the camps and the Palestinian gatherings inside the country concentrated on the programs of direct succor in the health and education fields and the called, ‘rations’. According to the statistics of the refugees’ succor agency in 2000, 3.250.000 refugees live in 59 camps distributed in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria under low living conditions. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) started in 1949 to submit the principal services and it still does until now. UNRWA supervised many youth centers inside the camps and, lately, women centers of important social programs about the development of capacities of rehabilitation, education and physical training.

The functions of the NGOs varied according to the social positions of the camps in the different countries. There was established many nurseries, women training centers, health centers and small workshops in the camps of Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, where great services had been submitted for the Palestinian gatherings that still wait to return home. Lately, many youth centers were active to establish national musical and theatrical groups and cultural clubs.

Due to the urgent need for organized services to overcome the difficult conditions of living, the Palestinian societies were recognized for their extra vitality inside the occupied territories, in the camps of Gaza and West Bank and in the other countries (Syria, Lebanon and Jordan).

This study attempted to observe a wide phenomenon that almost included all the societies of refugees inside and outside the country. The phenomenon is subjugated to the policy and timing of Oslo agreement (1993) and its results, which relate to delaying the issue of refugees till after the transitional period.

The issue of refugees became a central axis of the national Palestinian movement. Thus, it penetrated all the refugees’ societies in all their scattered places and included most trends, which united for the principle of preserving their rights to return home, regain their properties and refuse settling. The movement succeeded to upraise the aspects of the Palestinian issue and its various axis that form inseparable unity.

The reason for dealing with the political organizations of the Palestinian refugees that were formed after 1993:

As we mentioned before, one of the principle rules for the social development and the NGOs’ strategy depends on the political settlement. The Palestinian people were historically deprived of their right for self-determination and the establishment of an independent state on their own land. The reality proved that any political solution, which does not adopt the international legal decisions and the rights of refugees to return home, would fail.

This is not an abstract political view but ignoring these aspects cannot solve the Palestinian national problem, which was accomplished by confiscating the land and deporting the original inhabitants during two historical periods 1984 and 1967.

It is helpful to note the following estimated numbers of scattered Palestinian people:

-  The Palestinian population is 8.500.000 persons, 5.200.000 refugees and 450.000 Palestinians deported from their original cities and villages inside Palestine (in 1948, the Israeli occupation destructed 531 cities and villages).

-  1.250.000 Palestinians live in Gaza Strip, where more than 60% are refugees (4000 persons live in 1square km.,). On the other hand, each 6 Israelis live in 1 square km., inside the Israeli settlements in the confiscated occupied territory.

These numbers represent a daily conflict that will never stop between the owners of the right and the aggressors. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Israeli forces destruct the Palestinian camps of West Bank; also, it is not strange that the inhabitants have such a legendry level of resistance against this aggression.

All the established NGOs after 1993 inside the Palestinian gatherings in the entire world were mutual according to the following:

First- All emerged from public conferences that included wide activities and represented various sectors.

Second- All agreed that the issue of refugees and the right to return home cannot be negotiated, as well as, the necessity to depend on the decision No. 194 and insist on applying it.

Third- All NGOs applied an executive mobilization mechanism of the issued decisions. Actually, the organized movement of the refugees can direct the negotiations and the national solution. They also can perform pressure on the owners of the political decision to have commitment toward the return of the refugees, which represent the essence of the existing national conflict.

A brief view toward the NGOs that submit social service to the Palestinian refugees:

1.     1. Since the middle of the 20th century till the end of the eighties many international succor organizations were formed in the Palestinian camps to help the refuges. There were 6 international organizations in Gaza Strip, which submitted human services till the present time, for example, the Catholic Succor, the Children of World Refugees, the Union of Churches, the American Committee of Refugees and others.

In the same period, other seven organizations were formed: Caritas, International Care, the Catholic Succor, International Luther, Mennonite and Oxfam.

2. On the national level, tens of organizations that carried the names of destroyed Palestinian cities and villages were formed. These organizations are still active, mainly, in the countries of dispersion. The mentioned organizations still submit human and social services among big numbers of refugees.

3. The agency of refugees’ succor supervised the youth centers and women centers, which both were active in the camps on the levels of culture, health and rehabilitation.

4. The political NGOs that demand the right of return:

First: The organized movements in the camps of Palestine produced civil organizations specialized in the political issue of the refugees:

1.     The conference of public Fareha in 8.12.1985 held by the union of social youth centers in the camp of Gaza Strip.

2.     The conference of Al-Dhaisha in 13.9.1996.

3.     The conference of beach camp in Gaza in 17.9.1996.

4.     The conference of Am’ari in Gaza in 1999.

5.     The end of 90ies established the organization of defending refugees’ rights in Nablus, supervised by Mr. Hussam Khuder.

6.     The center of Shamel was established in 1995.

7.      Yafa center was established in Nablus, supervised by Mr. Taiseer Naseralla.

8.     In Gaza Strip, a national gathering is formed now to defend the right of refugees’ return on the basis of uniting all the public committees in the Strip. 

Second: The organized moves of the immigrations’ refugees camps:

1. The conference of refugees in Yrmuk camp/Syria in 17.5.1996.

2.  The organization of A’edoon was formed in Syria and Lebanon in 1999.

3.  The committee for defending the right of refugees return was established in Damascus in April 2000.

4. The high committee for the right of refugees return was established in Amman in February 1998.

Third: The organized moves, which produced civil organizations that supervise the political issue of the refugees in Europe and United States.

1.  After the conference of Boston University in the United States in 4.3.2000 that declared the right of the Palestinian people to return home, a committee for supervising the right of return was established.

2.The center of Al-Audah was established in Athens in 12.3.2000.

3.The council for the right of return and the regain of properties was established in year 2000. The council carried on field efforts to collect the signatures of 25.000 refugees and 130 public Palestinian organizations that demanded their rights.

4.The conference of Germany in 3.3.2000, named ‘the refugees under the chairs’.

5. The symposium of the Arab World Institute in Paris, dated 18.12.2000, held by Arab and French organizations.

6. The center of Al-Audah was established in London in 6.3.2000.

7. The public conference in Sweden in 2000.

8.The committees for defending the right of return were established in Sweden, Denmark, Greece, France, Germany and Britain. They formed a unified coalition called the ‘coalition for defending the right of return in Europe’. 

In addition, there were many centers of studies and research in Europe, United States, West Bank and Gaza.

The NGOs of Palestinian Women:

According to the UN office of general coordinator there are 39 specialized organizations for the Palestinian woman and 9 organizations for women and child.

The functions of these organizations join between the social services for women and family and the cultural, legal, training and rehabilitation services.

The Palestinian woman initiated the regular organization activity in 1921. Thus, since the beginning of this century, the Palestinian women formed organizations, participated in Arab women unions and had important roles in the social Palestinian life. It was obvious that the educated women would initiate activities in the social life and stand for the big national issues and the dangers since the beginning.

During the historical stages, the Palestinian women continued their activities but with more developed and comprehensive strategies. So, their movement expanded to include various public categories and women of different social classes.

Until now, many women organizations, which were established during the forties, are still active and have famous reputation for serving the Palestinian people through all the continuous catastrophes, for example, the Union of Women in Nabluss.

The General Union of Palestinian Women attracted wide public interests and established branches wherever Palestinians existed inside and outside Palestine. The conditions of occupation prevented its activity during 20 years in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. After 1993, the union returned to practice its activity in the regions of the national authority while its branches are still active in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Iraq.

Why the Palestinian woman was historically recognized in the civil movement?

1. The main factor is due to the great social problems that resulted from the successive national catastrophes and the damages caused to the Palestinian family like, the martyrdom or the arrest of big numbers of men, homelessness, refuge, the decline of living conditions and others.

It is well known that due to war, the percentage between men and women imbalances, therefore, the Palestinian women faced great challenges. They had an early perception about the importance of organized activity to develop forward.

2. Since more than a century and a half, the human missions were necessary for the Palestinian society. The civil organizations of women activated through different axis in the fields of health, education, rehabilitation and contribution.

Regardless of the great efforts of the Palestinian women’ participation in the direct political activity, most historical leaderships were and still supervise the women organizations, which submitted great human services of national significance.

3.The Palestinian women movements responded to the new trends of the world women organizations, therefore, they specified organizations for resisting the family and social violence against women, indulged with the theoretical researches about the human rights of women and child and established specialized centers of research for this purpose. Although this advanced direction is very important but it became far from the wide public, who still need more help to organize their efforts and capacities. In fact, the advanced ideas attracted the elites and dragged them away from the public base. Anyhow, the late Israeli reoccupation resulted a civil, cultural and political shock for these elites. So, they are expected to review their attitudes in order to integrate with the wide public categories, which stubbornly resisted the occupation to defend the dignity of the Palestinian people, unity,

the right of self-determination and national independence.

There is no exact observation for the resulting positions of the Palestinian women due to the huge destruction that was caused by the occupying forces to the civil Palestinian life. As a result to the martyrdom of more than 2000 persons, about 25.000 wounded and the arrest of thousands of strugglers, the NGOs would expect to face big human difficulties. This means the existence of thousands of widowed women and thousands of unemployed people. In addition, children face big problems due to disabled cases, malnutrition, deprivation of education and all what relates to normal life.   

We are sure that all the NGOs, whether for women or not, would support the treatment of such tragic conditions, especially after the speech of the official solidarity declined to the extent of ignoring the daily massacre against the Palestinians.

The NGOs in the Eastern Quds:

Due to the special legal and political position of the sacred historical city, the civil activity started since 1912. Then, in year 1950, there became 10 organizations. Nowadays, Al-Quds includes more than 100 NGOs, which were established mostly during the seventies and eighties. After 1993,only 7 civil organizations were established.

The city of Al-Quds and its inhabitants were exposed since the Israeli occupation in 1967 to many exceptional procedures that targeted jewishizing it and confiscating the property lands of the Palestinians. These procedures were mainly tensioned after 1993, (The Project of Districts Studies- The Organization of Arab Studies) where Israel isolated the sacred city and continued work quietly to change its demography by increasing the number of Jewish residents on the account of the Palestinians.

In spite of the sufferings in the rest of West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Palestinians in Al-Quds are exposed to a lot of different pressure. The NGOs in Al-Quds submit various services that include the maintenance of old buildings to consolidate the national belonging of the youth, who are exposed to dual identity and contradicted official resources, in addition to social and cultural extended services.

The percentage of NGOs activities among other organizations in Al-Quds for social services is 44.83%. (The project of districts studies in the eastern Quds- the organization of Arab studies). This percentage clarifies that the social and beneficiary services are the main program. The reason is due to the low percentage of financial contributions and the increasing need for more. The inhabitants of Al-Quds used to receive financial contributions from the interests of different insurances but there are continuous increasing cases, which are deprived from their rights of interests because of the practiced racist policy of the Israeli occupation authority.

The social services obtain the percentages of 28.74% from self-financing support, 28.74% from the local financial support, 8.05% from the Arab financial support and 31.0% from the international support of total organizations’ budgets in eastern Quds. This high percentage reflects the real need for assistance and social services that include the financial contributions to families and students, scholarships, nurseries, health centers, mosques or helping the poor, orphans, the aged and others. 54.02 % of organizations are concerned with training, rehabilitation and professional courses like, computers, mechanics and disabled training.

The percentage of budgets for education, Art and culture is as follow: 22.99% the budget of education from society self-financing, 20.69% from the local support, 8.05% Arab support and 27.59% international support.

- Most organizations (75.6%) were established after 1967 by the emergence of many organizations that paralleled the advanced step of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and its groups, which supported and established civil and public organizations.

- (95.1%) of organizations were registered officially, (67.9%) registered by the national authority, (19.2%) registered in Israeli ministry and (8.9%) registered in the municipality.

- (58.3%) have the legal entity of organizations or beneficiary NGOs and less percentage as co-operations.

- The organizations practice activities inside and outside Al-Quds.

- The fundamental goals of the organizations consolidate: (91.5%) the social interaction, (96.6%) the scientific and cultural rise, (85.4%) the national belonging, (70.7%) development of education, (70.3%) Artistic needs and (69.5%) religious and spiritual values.

- The goals of the organizations include many fields like, social, cultural, Artistic and others. They mainly target villages and camps less than the cities. Therefore, some procedures must be discussed to enable the organizations of the suburbs to extend their functions and services.

In spite of the positive Palestinian public attitude in Al-Quds and the insistence on identity and defending the sacred heritage, great obstacles face the progress of these organizations, mainly, the continuity of occupation policy, the attempts of jewishizing and isolating Al-Quds from the rest of the Palestinian occupied territories. This position creates an obstacle against the inhabitants and youth aspiration to have normal contact with their society atmosphere and natural geography. It is necessary to direct the organizations toward the care of women and youth positions. In fact, 74% of the populations are less than 29 years old, which means that it is necessary to direct their capacities for participating in the positive and developmental issues.   

Notices about the needed strategies for the Palestinian NGOs:

1- It is necessary to develop the strategies of the organizational activity, extend their public bases and regulate its national agenda to suite the needs and priorities of the Palestinian people. The most important front to face the continuous aggression against the organizations’ achievements and members is the organized crowds and the real indulge with the distresses of the various social sectors and supporting their needs.

2- It is important to develop the coordination and unify the efforts of the civil organizations. Although such call seems to be uneasy to manage due to the conditions of division, isolation and continuous siege on the cities and villages, this goal remains to be achieved once the chances become more available. The coordination of relation with the Arab and international organizations should remain within a unified comprehensive strategy that benefits from the Arab and international experiences, develops and marks the national priorities of the civil organizations.

3-It is important to propagate and consolidate the interior democracy of the organizations through holding public meetings, re-estimating their experiments, renewing their cadres and adjusting and modernizing their programs. This golden base would fortify the civil organizations.

4- The activity of the NGOs became now a principle base for preserving the Palestinian identity from the danger of cancellation and elimination. Actually, the NGOs perform a solid power on the international level that have pressure on the official decision and the political and economical levels. The Palestinian NGOs include more significant meanings for preserving the independent national identity and the right of the Palestinians to maintain their culture and deep-rooted civilization.

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