Abstract:
This thesis examines the different public roles Palestinian women have assumed
during the contemporary history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The thesis uses the
problematic juxtaposition between the high public visibility of female militants and
relatively low visibility of female political figures as a basis for investigating individual
Palestinian women and women's groups that have participated in the Palestinian public
sphere from before the first Intifada to the present. The thesis addresses the current state
of Palestine's political structure, how international sources of support for enhancing
women's political participation might be implemented, and internal barriers Palestinian
women face in becoming politically active and gaining leadership roles. It draws the
conclusions that while Palestinian women do participate in the political sphere, greater
cohesion between existing women's groups and internal support from society and the
political system is needed before the number of women in leadership positions can be
increased; and that inclusion of women is a necessary component of being able to move
forward in peace negotiations.