Overall aim: To support the adoption of effective policies, legislation and advocacy strategies for the protection of Palestinian rights.

The rule of law has been seriously undermined since 2000 within the general context of the inability of the PA to ensure personal security to residents of the West Bank and Gaza due to the constant military incursions of Israeli occupation forces, settlement expansion and other ongoing violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. In this context, the advances made in the initiation of national policies, legislation and regulations across sectors, the population's compliance with domestic laws and regulations, as well as human rights compliance in Palestinian society have suffered. Particularly, advances in women's rights, children's rights, rights of the disabled, cultural heritage protection and rights of the poor and marginalized face being overwhelmed by the struggle for national as well as individual survival, while donor interest is diverted to addressing the constant emergency humanitarian problems. However, as more and new international donors become ever more involved in humanitarian assistance and development aid and in political efforts to promote durable peace in the area, the international community has become keenly interested in addressing the core problems behind the situation of deteriorating human security. Advocacy for rights of Palestinians in the 1948 areas as well as in Palestinian camps in Lebanon are also included in this work.

Technical assistance and coordination and networking mechanisms are required to empower civil society organizations to advocate for social change within their sectors and across sectors with the local, national and international communities. Donors and international visitors on "fact-finding" missions are important channels for reaching governments to communicate the Palestinian situation. WA also has an important role --- and responsibility --- in translating and communicating its knowledge and experience for greater impact.