Activists, Lobbyists, and Suicide Bombers: Lessons from the Palestinian Women's Movement

This essay offers an overview of the recent history of the Palestinian women's movement beginning with the first intifada (1988-93), passing through the post-Oslo years, and ending with Al Aqsa Intifada (2000-present) in order to highlight the silences of this movement regarding issues of sexuality, militarization, and religion. Amireh argues that these silences were justified by a hegemonic national prioritization paradigm that evaded dealing with women's issues and by a smear campaign conducted against women activists and NGOs by a vocal Islamist movement that, unlike the secular national movement, places gender and sexuality at the center of its transformative project.