Palestinian women, like other women of color around the world, are the victims of the double oppression of colonialism and patriarchy. They struggle against an occupation that brutalizes them and their people, while also trying to break the fetters of a patriarchy that is so heavily engrained in Palestinian culture. Since 1967, they have made significant strides in overcoming the systems of oppression that have kept them down. They have formed political, social and economic organizations directed toward empowering women (while at the same time never abandoning their nationalist cause), attended colleges and universities in pursuit of degrees, and fought alongside men especially with the rise of the Intifada in 1987.
In the field of literature, Palestinian women have contributed to the body of fiction that began in the Arab world as early as 1865. In this study, five authors are analyzed. Hanan Mikhail Ashrawi, although most noted for her political role during the negotiations that led to the signing of the 1993 Declaration of Principles, wrote a short story entitled The Gold Snake. In this story, she uses the metaphors of a snake and a bracelet to describe the plight of Palestinian women. Hala Deeb Jabbour, in A Woman of Nazareth, tells the story of Amal, a young woman from a refugee camp who defies her father's wishes to become an airhostess. With this decision, her father disowns her, and he dies without having reconciled with his daughter. In the meantime, Amal discovers herself while living between Cairo, Beirut and New York City, before finally settling down in Beirut with the man who understands her more than any other. Nuha Samara, in an extract from Al-Tawilat Ashat Akthar min Amin, tells of a woman who also challenges society's notion of womanhood by shaving her head. She does so after her husband leaves her to go to Paris for "training" although she knows he will not return. Liana Badr has contributed significantly to Palestinian women's fiction by employing memory as a major feature of her work. Badr does not want to forget the cause and her use of disjointed memory serves to always keep the Palestinian cause alive. She does this skillfully in Buslah min ajl Abbad il-Shams. Sahar Khalifah is the final author in this study and Bab al-Saha manages to perfectly merge the Palestinian cause with the women's cause. She challenges all notions of sexism and patriarchy while employing female characters who remain committed to the cause of national liberation.