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The struggle between the Israelis and the Palestinians is one of the most long-standing and explosive of all of the world’s conflicts. And in response to this fight for peace, Israeli women from diverse political and religious backgrounds are now on a protest march, demanding action from their government.
What began as a small group of 20 Israeli women grew to 3,000 mothers, grandmothers and daughters, including 1,000 Palestinian women who joined in support of this movement. These women began the march in Rosh Hanikra in northern Israel and traveled to Jerusalem. For the past week, they have stood in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home with signs asking for a political action. Many of these banners read, “Right, Center and Left are all calling for an agreement, Women Wage Peace,” according to The Washington Post.
The group, Women Wage Peace, says that their goal is to bring about a viable peace agreement. “We want to live in a society characterized by normality, prosperity and human rights,” the group’s website writes. They are fighting for a more peaceful existence for their children and future generations, starting by achieving a non-violent resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within four years.
And when asked why Women Wage Peace is specifically a women’s movement, one of the founders, Michal Barak, an educationalist and lawyer, explains, “Women entail doing, initiating, determination, hope, listening and communicating. Women signify an alternative.” Women connect to issues on the basis of their gender and their experiences as mothers, sisters and wives, says Barak. “It is a shared identity that crosses the deep divisions … this connection opens a possibility of finding more common grounds.”
Women Wage Peace plans to continue their protest in front of the Prime Minister’s home. And on October 31st, they are conducting the “opening session of the Knesset.” There, they will walk from the Prime Minister’s residence to the Knesset to hold a peace vigil. For more information on the movement, visit the Women Wage Peace website.
