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Protest in front of the Sharia court in Gaza
Photo: Adel Hana / AP
The criticism of the jurisprudence of a court in the Gaza Strip controlled by the radical Islamic group Hamas has evidently had consequences.
As reported by Reuters news agency, a controversial ruling that bans women from traveling without the consent of their male guardian is to be re-examined.
"We have agreed to reformulate the decision," said Chairman of the Sharia Legal Council in Gaza, Hassan Jojo, according to Reuters.
Jojo had therefore previously supported the decree himself.
It was initially unclear how exactly the court's decree should be reformulated.
The court ruled on Sunday that unmarried women were only allowed to travel with the permission of their male guardian.
This usually means the father or some other relative.
The background to the regulation is apparently that the migration of women from Gaza in search of jobs or educational opportunities should be restricted.
Unemployment in the Gaza Strip is extremely high.
According to the AP news agency, the decree also suggested that married women also needed the consent of their husbands and had to apply to the court for permission in advance.
According to the AP, men can also be prevented from traveling by their fathers or grandfathers if this causes "serious damage".
However, a special application is required for this.
Human rights activists complained about the violation of fundamental rights
The measure had previously triggered sharp criticism.
Mustafa Ibrahim of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights said, for example, that the Islamic court's decision violated fundamental rights.
The Euro-Mediterranean human rights monitor also criticized the violation of international law and freedom of travel.
Young women traveling without parental consent are seen as a disgrace to the family in the very conservative society in the Palestinian Territory.
The travel options in and out of the Gaza Strip are already severely limited.
Israel tightened a blockade on the Gaza Strip in 2007.
Most recently, however, Egypt had permanently opened a border post to Gaza.
Around two million people live in very poor conditions in the coastal area.
The ruling Islamist Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the USA and the EU.
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fek / dpa / Reuters
