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Q&A with Dalia Far: Let’s Talk About Palestine!

Youth Corner is a space to amplify the voices of young people and tell their stories of activism around the world. Dalia talks about what it means to her to be born in Palestine and how human rights can be defended in the difficult situation the Palestinian people are facing at this moment.

Image credit: WILPF
  • 3 min
Dalia Far
15 November 2023

How is it to be an activist in Palestine? 

Growing up in Palestine has both been a mixed blessing, to open your eyes for the first time to watch endless violence, apartheid and inhumanity and to live under an illegal occupation. 

It has been a struggle for my great grandparents who were refuged by their beautiful land “Al Lod” where their dreams shattered in a glimpse, and this struggle continued to my father, my family and finally to me. This occupation broke every young Palestinian dream. No child should be normal to blood and horror. Children belong in their schools and backyards and their “happy place” but this is not the case here, we were always facing obstacles when it comes to education from General strikes and closures to mourning the heroes of this land. We Palestinian women and girls are rendered more vulnerable to threats, intimidation, restrictions on movement, and discrimination, impeding our ability to realise a life free of violence. 

But I can also say that being a Palestinian is a blessing. It’s a blessing because I know the meaning of honour, the meaning of determination and the meaning of great responsibility as a Young WILPF member to raise the voice of my people and all the innocent people in the world and tell the continuous violations of human rights, to keep my role in peacekeeping and security despite the failure of many resolutions to end long lasting apartheid and Israeli occupation.

How is it to be an activist in Palestine in the current context? 

I have the potential to serve my people and to tell my story and theirs to the whole world to reach the ultimate near but yet far dream which is “Freedom and Justice”. Although as I am writing this article, I feel that I am failing the innocent children in Gaza that are being killed with cold blood in their beautiful homes. These beautiful angels that are now in heaven because their lives were nothing but fear, pain and injustice. I am sad and heartbroken but this pain drives me to make peace come true and with my fellow Young WILPFers we shall protect the future world from violence so our children can live our dream of peace.

How are the activities of Young WILPF going in Palestine?

WILPF Palestine has always been active in organising different events with members from different cities in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Such as organising different workshops to train and educate WILPF members about the international resolutions, human rights and justice, with the cooperation of different human rights organisations and associations. As well as raising awareness and creating campaigns on social media about Palestine and its right to freedom. Furthermore, volunteering in the name of peace and justice in different places such as helping women and children in refugee camps, helping farmers in olive picking, and help rebuild homes that were destroyed by settlers and Israeli Occupation, visiting released women that were imprisoned in the Israeli prisons and detention camps and follow up their conditions and sports. And right now, WILPF Palestine is putting all its energy on social media and on real ground to raise its voice for the inhuman genocide going on in Gaza despite the sorrow and the overwhelming conditions every Palestinian goes through and continues to help until justice is served.

Which is your message for the other Young WILPFers?

I hope whoever reads this article in the long term reads it in the city that I love the most, the city that taught me the importance of land, honour and sweet pain, the city where my Grandmother lives in, the city that I was forbidden to enter because of endless checkpoints and humiliations. The city that whenever I think of it my tear drops the city of cities “Jerusalem” but no more because we shall and we will overcome.

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Dalia Far

Dalia Far is a women’s rights activist and lawyer-in-training. She is a member of WILPF Palestine and notably of Young WILPF Palestine where she has contributed to making WILPF’s work known among young Palestinian women. She is the current Membership and Community Coordinator for the Young WILPF network. 

Matt Mahmoudi

Matt Mahmoudi (he/him) is a lecturer, researcher, and organizer. He’s been leading the “Ban the Scan” campaign, Amnesty International’s research and advocacy efforts on banning facial recognition technologies and exposing their uses against racialized communities, from New York City to the occupied Palestinian territories.

Berit Aasen

Europe Alternate Regional Representative

Berit Aasen is a sociologist by training and has worked at the OsloMet Metropolitan University on Oslo. She has 40 years of experience in research and consultancy in development studies, including women, peace, and security, and in later years in asylum and refugee studies. Berit Aasen joined WILPF Norway five years ago. She is an alternate member of the National Board of WILPF Norway, and representing WILPF Norway in the UN Association of Norway, the Norwegian 1325 network and the Norwegian Women’s Lobby. Berit Aasen has been active in the WILPF European Liaison group and is committed to strengthening WILPF sections and membership both in Europe and relations across continents.

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Melissa Torres

VICE-PRESIDENT

Prior to being elected Vice-President, Melissa Torres was the WILPF US International Board Member from 2015 to 2018. Melissa joined WILPF in 2011 when she was selected as a Delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women as part of the WILPF US’ Practicum in Advocacy Programme at the United Nations, which she later led. She holds a PhD in Social Work and is a professor and Global Health Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine and research lead at BCM Anti-Human Trafficking Program. Of Mexican descent and a native of the US/Mexico border, Melissa is mostly concerned with the protection of displaced Latinxs in the Americas. Her work includes training, research, and service provision with the American Red Cross, the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Centre, and refugee resettlement programs in the U.S. Some of her goals as Vice-President are to highlight intersectionality and increase diversity by fostering inclusive spaces for mentorship and leadership. She also contributes to WILPF’s emerging work on the topic of displacement and migration.

Jamila Afghani

VICE-PRESIDENT

Jamila Afghani is the President of WILPF Afghanistan which she started in 2015. She is also an active member and founder of several organisations including the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organisation (NECDO). Elected in 2018 as South Asia Regional Representative to WILPF’s International Board, WILPF benefits from Jamila’s work experience in education, migration, gender, including gender-based violence and democratic governance in post-conflict and transitional countries.

A woman in a blue, black, and white dress smiles radiantly in front of a leafy green background.

Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo

PRESIDENT

Sylvie Jacqueline NDONGMO is a human rights and peace leader with over 27 years experience including ten within WILPF. She has a multi-disciplinary background with a track record of multiple socio-economic development projects implemented to improve policies, practices and peace-oriented actions. Sylvie is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and was the Section’s president until 2022. She co-coordinated the African Working Group before her election as Africa Representative to WILPF’s International Board in 2018. A teacher by profession and an African Union Trainer in peace support operations, Sylvie has extensive experience advocating for the political and social rights of women in Africa and worldwide.

WILPF Afghanistan

In response to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and its targeted attacks on civil society members, WILPF Afghanistan issued several statements calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with Afghan people and ensure that their rights be upheld, including access to aid. The Section also published 100 Untold Stories of War and Peace, a compilation of true stories that highlight the effects of war and militarisation on the region. 

IPB Congress Barcelona

WILPF Germany (+Young WILPF network), WILPF Spain and MENA Regional Representative

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Demilitarisation

WILPF uses feminist analysis to argue that militarisation is a counter-productive and ill-conceived response to establishing security in the world. The more society becomes militarised, the more violence and injustice are likely to grow locally and worldwide.

Sixteen states are believed to have supplied weapons to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2020 with the US supplying 74 % of weapons, followed by Russia. Much of this equipment was left behind by the US military and is being used to inflate Taliban’s arsenal. WILPF is calling for better oversight on arms movement, for compensating affected Afghan people and for an end to all militarised systems.

Militarised masculinity

Mobilising men and boys around feminist peace has been one way of deconstructing and redefining masculinities. WILPF shares a feminist analysis on the links between militarism, masculinities, peace and security. We explore opportunities for strengthening activists’ action to build equal partnerships among women and men for gender equality.

WILPF has been working on challenging the prevailing notion of masculinity based on men’s physical and social superiority to, and dominance of, women in Afghanistan. It recognizes that these notions are not representative of all Afghan men, contrary to the publicly prevailing notion.

Feminist peace​

In WILPF’s view, any process towards establishing peace that has not been partly designed by women remains deficient. Beyond bringing perspectives that encapsulate the views of half of the society and unlike the men only designed processes, women’s true and meaningful participation allows the situation to improve.

In Afghanistan, WILPF has been demanding that women occupy the front seats at the negotiating tables. The experience of the past 20 has shown that women’s presence produces more sustainable solutions when they are empowered and enabled to play a role.