Women Build Bridges for Peace and Security in the Middle East

On behalf of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities, I welcome you to today’s event-public discussion, which is dedicated to this year’s International Women’s Day and is titled “Women Build Bridges for Peace and Security in the Middle East.” This is a public dialogue between women from Israel and from Palestine, whom I would especially like to thank for responding to my Committee’s invitation and managing, despite the objectively difficult circumstances, to be here today.

I would like to warmly thank Naomi Chazan, former Member of Parliament and Vice President of the Knesset, whom I have met several times in similar discussions in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. I would like to publicly express my deep appreciation and admiration for her struggles in promoting dialogue, reconciliation, and peace in the Middle East.

Honestly, every time I hear a dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian women, I wonder why the political leaderships do not entrust women to find the solutions, since they themselves either cannot, or do not want solutions to the problems.

Ladies and gentleman,

Dear colleagues,

We are all aware that the crisis in Iraq and the impending war will have serious consequences for the wider Middle East region and may likely make it even more difficult to find a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. We are all very concerned about how and to what extent the American attack on Iraq will affect developments in the region.

I deeply believe that peace and stability in the Middle East can only be achieved if they are based on democracy, respect for human rights, including women’s rights, and the strengthening of their role in social and political life, as well as in dialogue and negotiations for peace.

For this reason, I consider it important that the voices of women who have fought for peace in the Middle East be heard, and that we provide them with a platform to present their work, their creative thinking, and their ideas.

Women in Israel and Palestine have worked hard, on the front lines, to create the conditions for peace. Two of the experts with us today, Zahira Kamal and Naomi Chazan, have been very actively involved in this process for many years.

Today, we will hear the voices of women, their assessments of the current situation, their strategy for peace and security, and the role of the international community. Women have a very important role to play, taking new initiatives for the broader Middle East, initiatives aimed at transforming the culture of violence into a culture of peace and creative coexistence among people.

We will see how these initiatives can lead to a sustainable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue, and which alternative solution is the best among the many we hear. Is it the solution of one state, with cantons – as it is today (which bears some resemblance to the South African apartheid system)? Is it the solution of a single democratic state with full recognition of the political and human rights of the Palestinians? Is it the solution of two separate states or a federation?

I am sure that women can find the best solutions. However, they do not have the power to promote them, since they are absent from positions of power and from the bodies that do the negotiations. Women are absent from the UN Security Council and international organizations. Their permanent under-representation in the decision-making centers, the lack of gender balance in decisions, results in the under-representation of the views of one gender of the human race and the over-representation of the other, that is, the usual male aggression.

Our Committee has worked on the issue of conflict resolution through peaceful means and how important the role of women can be.

I hope that today’s discussion will extend beyond this room and that there will be some receptive ears that will listen to the voices of women.

Such ears are certainly available in the President of the Council, Greek Foreign Minister Mr. George Papandreou, who will conclude the proceedings of this public discussion with us.