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Source: https://jcpa.org/article/the-eu-attempts-to-promote-gender-equality-in-the-palestinian-authority/
The EU Attempts to Promote Gender Equality in the Palestinian Authority
(Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs) Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch - Since 2007, the EU has donated over 1.8 billion euros to the Palestinians to promote "Gender Equality." More EU funds were donated to achieving this goal than any other goal. Despite the substantial support, the Palestinian Authority has failed to adopt the legislative steps to implement this goal. While it had full jurisdiction to pass new legislation, for over 30 years the laws regarding personal status and criminal offenses implemented by the PA are still British Mandate law, Egyptian law (in Gaza), and Jordanian law (in Judea and Samaria). While the PA has been willing to take the substantial EU donations, Palestinian society, which is deeply rooted in Islamic Sharia law, rejects "Gender Equality." In order to ensure that the EU aid to the Palestinians is used to reach the goals for which it was donated, the EU must set clear, non-negotiable, benchmarks that the PA must comply with before any additional funding is provided. The writer, Director of the Palestinian Authority Accountability Initiative at the Jerusalem Center, was director of the Military Prosecution in Judea and Samaria.