Zahira Kamal has been at the vanguard of the Palestinian women’s movement since the 1970s. Along with Hanan Ashrawi and Suad Amiry, Kamal was one of only three Palestinian women who took part in the Middle East peace talks in Washington in 1990. She has dedicated her life to Palestinian civil society with a number of organisations including the Federation of Palestinian Women’s Action Committee and, since the establishment of the ministry in 2004, Zahira Kamal has served as Minister of the Palestinian National Authority for Women’s Affairs. She is also the General Secretary of the Palestinian Democratic Union party.