Dear

In this issue:

- SAVE THE DATE – our first regional peace summit, Oct. 4
- what we’ve been resisting all along: WWP’s ‘protest’ message
- collaboration between sister movements: WWP and our Palestinian counterpart,
   Women of the Sun
- solidarity with other women’s movements
- extending our diplomatic ties

Oct. 4, 2023 - women-led peace summit

on the ground in Israel

Many members throughout the country have been part of the weekly protests against the judicial overhaul, taking it a step further with WWP’s message that there’s no democracy without equality, and no security without peace.

Recent projects and programs include Building a Peaceful Future, the Mother Tongue Project and Activating the Field.

Read more....

women uniting throughout the country

a new coalition of women. A stark statistic confronts us Israeli women daily. Although we make up slightly more than 50% of the population, we are represented in the current governing coalition by a far smaller fraction of female Knesset members than in recent governments – only 11%. In response to this imbalance, we are coming together to stand up for ourselves. In a major policy shift, WWP has decided to join one of these initiatives called the “Coalition of Women and Equality”. At a meeting hosted by President of Israel Isaac Herzog, this coalition committed itself to addressing three untenable realities: under-representation of women in civic life, violence against women, and discrimination against women.

fighting crime in Palestinian Israeli society. Israel’s presidential couple Isaac and Michal Herzog recently hosted concerned Arab Israeli women in their official residence in Jerusalem. WWP members were able to join these brave women to demonstrate solidarity. It was shocking and moving to hear the personal stories of Arab women who have lost sons, daughters, spouses, and parents due to the increase in violence and crime in their communities.

diplomatic activities

WWP Foreign Relations co-leader Angela Scharf continues to connect our movement with the international diplomatic corps stationed in Israel. Bahrain, Morocco, UAE and Egypt have all shown great interest in WWP and WOS. European Union and American embassy staff members continue to support our efforts to spread the word abroad about women-led peace negotiations and are currently helping us to bring international leaders to take part in our peace summit on October 4th.

The value of these relationships in advancing our cause was again made clear when Mrs. Maria Valesco, Deputy Head of Mission of the European Union Representative office in Jerusalem, hosted a meeting with 12 women diplomats and other representatives from various European countries together with WWP and WOS representatives. Following presentations about our two movements, diplomatic corps guests discussed how best to support our joint work.

learning opportunities

Jewish and Arab women from WWP and members of our Palestinian counterpart WOS recently attended several peace conferences and courses in Spain. Our over-arching aim was to hold interpersonal meetings with nationalities whom our members had never met before – women from various North African and Middle Eastern countries, who shared how eye-opening it had been to see Jewish Israeli and Palestinian women working together in harmony and mutual respect. Topics covered in these events included how to prepare for conversations on conflict, how to resolve conflicts, and what women can bring to the negotiation table.

The Central Synagogue in midtown New York hosted several Zoom panel sessions on “Prospects for Peace” during the spring holidays as part of its celebration of 75 years of independence of the State of Israel. WWP was represented by long-time activist Vivian Silver and WOS by Samar Abedrabu. Co-panelists included members of the Bereaved Parents Circle and the Rossing Center. Watch this outstanding panel, led by Rabbi Salth and the Israeli Shaliach Michal Abramoff here.

peace conference in Jerusalem

The Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) organized its largest ever meeting with hundreds of peace-builders, policy makers, diplomats, and philanthropists for a full day of workshops, panels, and networking opportunities. Held at Jerusalem’s historic International YMCA, its goal was to provide connection “at this moment of both crisis and opportunity, to organizations that often work along parallel lines, heading in the same direction, but rarely coming into contact with one another,” according to the ALLMEP website.

WWP and WOS ran a highly-frequented information booth during the conference and members of both movements met with many conference participants to share ideas and experiences. Dr. Yael Braudo-Bahat, co-director at WWP, participated in the panel Unite the Field 2023 – Think Global, Act Local: The Diplomatic Community & Civil Society Together.

educating the public about our mission

Educating groups and individuals, from tourists to pre-army students, are part of our ongoing mission, as we believe that education and dialog can bring about change. Two of our activists, Peta Falah and Nomi Regev, recently met with 50 young Israelis participating in a preparatory year before their army service. They reported that most of these young future leaders believed that the price of peace would be heavier than maintaining the status quo.

Groups from the Americas and various European countries continue to request meetings with WWP and WOS representatives to learn about our joint activities and sign our Mothers' Call. Please encourage your friends to meet with us when traveling in this region.

Education and information matters.

clip worth watching (again)