Nibal Thawabteh

Nibal Thawabteh is a woman of courage in the political and media fields. She was the first woman to be elected to the Beit Fajjar Village Council (a very conservative village near Bethlehem) by mounting a comprehensive political campaign that has blazed the trail for other women wishing to serve in local politics. After participating in U.S.-sponsored NGO political campaign training courses in 2002, she developed her own customized training manual for women in her community, volunteering over 200 hours to help others attain seats in the Village Council. Most recently, Ms. Thawabteh has used the media to continue to advance the cause of women in the Palestinian Territories by founding a monthly newspaper which covers various controversial political and social issues such as: honor killing, polygamy, and the plight of the poor. She says that her investigative reports have resulted in threats of physical violence against her, but she continues her work for women’s social and political rights.