Ramallah: There is an alarming deficit of women's rights in the Palestinian Territories, according to Leena Abdul Hadi, an activist and Legal Advisor of the Nablus governorate.
While the Palestinian Basic Law is regularly updated, there has been a deliberate stagnation in reforming laws pertaining to women's rights, she told Gulf News in an interview.
Currently, the Jordanian Criminal Law of 1960 and the Personal Affairs Law of 1976 are the basis for all jurisprudence related to rape, adultery and other women related issues within the family framework.
These archaic laws are in total contradiction with the Palestinian Basic Law implemented in the country, yet still applied.
"This leads to the subordination of women. We are treated with humiliating inferiority," Abdul Hadi said. While the Jordanian law has already been canceled in Jordan, the Palestinian government continues to implement them in the day to day affairs of women.
"The law encourages women to keep their mouths shut and remain silent over abuses," she said.
"Unfortunately, leftist parties strike political deals with officials at the expense of women's rights," Abdul Hadi explained.
