Class 3: The Role of Women in Resistance
Notable Figures in Women's Resistance
Fatima Bernawi and Shadia Abu Ghazala are exemplary figures in Palestinian women's resistance. Bernawi, born in 1939, survived the Nakba and became a key leader in the freedom struggle. She was the first woman listed in the Palestinian women prisoners’ movement records. Shadia Abu Ghazala, an early member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, led women's military units and dedicated her life to educating people about resistance. She died in 1968, but her legacy continues, as seen in a school named after her in Gaza, which was the site of an Israeli massacre in December 2023.
Women in the Intifada
Palestinian women were pivotal during the First Intifada (1987-1993), a mass uprising against the Israeli occupation. After decades of occupation and settlement expansion, the killing of four Palestinians in Gaza sparked widespread mobilization. Palestinian women quickly filled the void left by arrested or killed men, forming the backbone of the uprising. They united across generations, political factions, and class lines, organizing at the grassroots level to rally hundreds of thousands against the Israeli occupation.
Women initiated mass political strikes and spearheaded the first mass boycott against “Israel.” They provided home-grown alternatives to Zionst goods, set up backyard gardens and farming cooperatives, and organized teach-ins when “Israel” shut down Palestinian schools and universities. Women also created emergency medical teams to care for protesters injured by Israeli violence. Despite the brutal Israeli crackdown, including curfews, mass arrests, and house arrests, women continued their resistance, finding innovative ways to communicate and organize.
