Is the Palestinian Authority doing enough to stop honor killings?

[azurnoir]

On May 7, the remains of a woman's body were found in a well, three kilometers from the village of Surif, northwest of Hebron. A quick examination by Palestinian police found that the victim was Ayah Barad'iyya, a 21-year-old English major at Hebron University. Her parents had complained to the police about her disappearance 13 months earlier.

Unlike many other cases involving murder of women, this one was not kept under wraps. In fact, it sent out shock waves that were felt far beyond the narrow geographical confines of the community where the murdered woman and her family lived and far beyond the circle of women's advocacy groups.

Less that a week after the remains were discovered, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared his intention to revoke a clause in the 1960 Jordanian penal code - still in force in the West Bank (although in Jordan itself the law has already been changed ) - and to change a clause in the 1936 British Mandatory law that is still in force in the Gaza Strip. These two articles exempt from punishment - at least any serious punishment - anyone convicted of murdering a woman to preserve what is defined as "family honor."

Article 340 of the Jordanian penal code stipulates the following: "He who surprises his wife, or one of his Mahrams committing adultery with somebody , and kills, wounds, or injures one or both of them, shall be exempt from liability." The second part of the article says: "He who surprises his wife, or one of his female ascendants or descendants or sisters with another in an unlawful bed, and he kills or wounds or injures one or both of them, shall be liable to a lesser penalty." This is the article that Abbas ordered repealed.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/is-the-palestinian-authority-doing-enough-to-stop-honor-killings-1.367175

[azurnoir]

1. also of note from the article

The Israel Defense Forces, which in a series of military orders changed various articles in the Jordanian and Mandatory laws that were in force in the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, left in place those laws that discriminate against women. With the establishment of the PA and the Legislative Council, women's advocacy groups have taken on a bigger role in promoting equality for women (along with participating in the campaign against the occupation ) and are now focusing on the sphere of legislation. The various bits of legislation that show leniency toward those who murder women for so-called "family honor" reasons have always been a prime target. Western governments and NGOs have provided significant backing in this campaign. In fact, some believe Western involvement could work as a boomerang, if it is perceived as foreign intervention in Palestinian affairs

one must wonder why what with all the concern we see here for Arab women's rights in OPT why Israel chose not to change these laws when they had the chance?

[pelsar]

2. because israel was attempting a "benign occupation"

which left in place jordanian education and laws for the westbank and egytian laws and education for gaza...

the concept being that it wasn't right to change their culture......something the UN agreed upon (and many progressives i assume as well).
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all in all a dumb concept, israel should have ignored the UN (again), tossed out the egyptian/british rules, tossed out the jordanian/british/saudi arabia rules and put in a western democracy

such a move would have changed the whole equation in the conflict.....

[azurnoir]

3. riiiiight a benign occupation , puleez n/t

[pelsar]

4. so you pro forced cultural change?

your question was why israel didnt forcibly change the Palestinian culture to accept western values concerning womens rights.

would you have backed up such a thing?...the UN was against forced cultural change.

this is the point, where you dont answer...you dont like being pushed into corners where your forced to make a clear statement, that in essence goes against the "progressive agenda"...

shhhhhhhhhhhh

[bemildred]

5. Israel doesn't give a shit about protecting Palestinian culture.

And if they gave a shit about human rights they would have stomped this sort of thing out when they could.

[pelsar]

6. no....thats not the point..whether we care or not...

for the Palestinian culture....in general we dont. We only care when it has an affect upon us. For all i care they can eat their first born. The only problem with that, is that is that would not create a culture/environment that is conducive to having peace with us or the rest of the world....

i always thought that, changing cultures was one of those things we're not suppose to do, and they will do it "in time" when they are "ready"
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now you too aren't going to answer the question, if your for or against forceable culture change?