Palestinian woman Lina Mussafer sits in a Trella at a street in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, March 7, 2021. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua)
Palestinian first female Trella driver celebrates International Women's Day by driving a truck through the streets of her city.
by Sanaa Kamal
RAMALLAH, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Lina Mussafer, a Palestinian woman from the West Bank city of Tulkarem, has celebrated International Women's Day by driving a Trella through the streets of her city.
"It is our day and we have the right to celebrate it in our own way," the 49-year-old Palestinian woman said, adding that she was sending a message to Palestinian women that they could express themselves the way they wanted to.
Palestinian woman Lina Mussafer drives a Trella at a street in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, March 7, 2021. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua)
Mussafer was the first-ever woman who got the Trella license in the Palestinian territories one year ago. Getting such a license is not common among Palestinian women, she told Xinhua.
Driving such a heavy vehicle is not an easy task as it requires strength as well as an ability to control it.
Every year, on March 8, women around the world celebrate International Women's Day, which is celebrated to acknowledge women's economic, political, social, and cultural achievements, highlighting gender parity and women's role in bringing out essential changes.
"The path of change in society has not lined up with roses. It has taken years to implement changes in Arab countries," Mussafer told Xinhua.
"One day, when I was a little girl, I stood in front of a huge Trella and began to compare my small size to its extreme size and wondered if I would be able to drive it someday," the middle-aged woman recalled.
Year by year, she said, that dream grew up with her. Mussafer got her first driving license in 2002. A few years later, she was involved in getting trained on how to drive a truck.
According to a 2021-report issued by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the estimated population in Palestine stood at about 5.23 million at the beginning of 2021. A total of 2.57 million are females, which make up about 49 percent of the population in the Palestinian territories.
Sameer Rohan, Mussafer's driving coach, said that he was surprised when he heard that a woman sought to pass a Trella driving test, but he agreed to train her.
"Mussafer is clever and gained all techniques to drive all kinds of vehicles," he praised the former student.
Entisar Halayka, a female from the West Bank city of Hebron, received the first license in truck driving in Palestine in 2015.
Now, both Mussafer and Halayka work as driving trainers in their areas for women and men. ■
