Without being too overtly political, the Palestinians for many decades lived under direct military occupation of the Israeli state, a mostly Western-backed entity. This is a unique relationship that is unlike the history of other Arab peoples and one that has formed a strong nationalism within the Palestinian people, which is arguably unique among Arabs.

This phenomenon of Palestinian nationalism has been argued by Palestinian scholars such as Edward Said, who claims that Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon and Jordan will continue identifying as "Palestinian," rather than a larger pan-Arab identity. I've seen some scholars argue that may be because even under Ottoman rule, Palestinian Arabs had a distinct culture and dialect, and with the events of the 20th century, the Palestinians now have a shared political struggle.

It is this inverse relationship on which I am so focused on. If democratic revolutions in the Arab World necessarily require the inclusion of women, where can we see examples of this. I went looking for examples in the Arab Spring. However, the best example of "democracy and women's rights in the Arab World" I could find predated the Arab Spring and came from the First Intifada.

It is generally understood that the Palestinian Intifadas have a deep connection with Arab democratic movements with the events of the Second Intifada leading to protests in neighboring Arab countries which led to the Arab Spring. As I mentioned in my "Personal Thoughts," Palestinians and the Arab World have a complex relationship, however it is understood that the Palestinian national movement leads to democratic movements in neighboring Arab countries. Palestine can be seen as a sort of "litmus test" for the Arab region.

In the film "Naila and the Uprising," we follow the story of Naila, a woman who is involved in Palestinian civil rights organizations. The story goes that she is arrested by Israeli police while pregnant, leading to a miscarriage. This leads to popular outrage, leading to her release. The film then further covers the events of the First Intifada and the role of women-led civil society organizations. The film makes a point that even though men were organized, especially in militant organizations like the PLO, women were also organized in their communities. Women worked in their communities organizing general strikes, running schools and daycares, and serving as messengers for political organizations.

At the end of the film, we see how the First Intifada led to the Madrid Peace Conference of 1991, which included a coalition of Palestinian civil society organizations, many of them led by women. Ultimately, the Oslo Accords were signed, and women were excluded from peace talks between the State of Israel and the PLO. Women interviewed in the film lament how the PLO failed to make concessions on the right of women and how these issues are still present in Palestinian society.

To reflect on the findings of Donno and Russett (2004), I can see a) the myth of women being marginalized in Islamic society being dispelled---the truth is that women are actively fighting for democratic rights; and b) when democratic movements do arise in the Arab world, women play a huge role.

My favorite quote from the film was from a Palestinian woman who said "How can we be free, when half of the people are excluded from the conversation?"

Another example is how Palestinian women would pass along hidden messages in their breadbaskets from house to house to escape police inspection--again using the patriarchy to their advantage.