Thursday, June 02, 2016

Palestinians: Sex in Gaza City

By Khaled Abu Toameh

  • A 27-year-old female journalist recounted that a Palestinian official working for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza invited her for a job interview. The official "tried to approach and touch her, but she walked away and left the office... The following day... he offered her the job in return for having sexual intercourse with him."
  • The victim noted that under Palestinian law, UNRWA officials enjoy immunity from being prosecuted.
  • Palestinian journalist Amjad Yaghi found that the Palestinian Basic Law does not tackle the issue of sexual harassment in Palestinian society. Meanwhile, the Hamas connections of these criminals will keep them out of jail and in positions of power.
  • Where are the women's rights organizations now? Where are the European and American overseers of the international human rights organizations in the Gaza Strip? Do they only awaken from their slumber when they smell fresh Israeli meat? How many women will be sexually assaulted while these watchdogs sleep?
When it comes to sexual harassment, where are the European and American overseers of the international human rights organizations in the Gaza Strip? Under Palestinian law, UNRWA officials enjoy immunity from being prosecuted, and the Hamas connections of officials that engage in sexual harassment will no doubt keep them out of jail and in positions of power. Pictured at right: Pierre Krähenbühl, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, meets with Federica Mogherini, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs.
Sex is a taboo topic in the conservative Palestinian society. So it came as a nasty surprise to many when the rampant sexual harassment in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip was recently brought to public attention.
A damning report, entitled "Gaza: Sexual Harassment and Bribery Chase Job-Seekers," was published in the Beirut-based, Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper Al-Akhbar. Amjad Yaghi, the young Palestinian journalist who wrote the exposé, showed extraordinary courage in doing so.
Hamas, needless to say, was not amused.
Yaghi wrote that
"[some] public personalities in the Gaza Strip are no longer abiding by the professional standards of their moral work after being overcome by their sexual instincts and professional duties. They are exploiting their status, especially their decision-making regarding employment, appointments and providing services and funds to projects in light of the absence of working opportunities for women."

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