Being a member of the IWC of several years has thought me about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict more than all the books I read.
My activism within the IWC enabled me to meet incredible women from the Israeli and the Palestinian side and from the international community.
It also raised many issues concerning women power, women in politics and the ability to conduct politics in a feminist manner.
Meeting women who are highly engaged in politics and getting to know them on a personal enabled me to see various sides of the conflict that remained previously hidden from my perception.
Below is the closing statement of the IWC – there is so much to tell about this organization and about the meetings, the talks, and the women. I hope that one day I will have the time to put these experiences and the thoughts they have aroused into writings.
IWC Statement
After five years of a shared endeavor among Palestinian, Israeli and international women leaders, the International Women’s Commission for a Just and Sustainable Palestinian-Israeli Peace (IWC) has decided that the time has come to conclude our initiative in its present form.
At the same time, we re-affirm our commitment to the principles that united us in solidarity for an end to the occupation and the realization of a peaceful two-state solution on the June 4, 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine based on international law including all relevant UN resolutions. Since the inception of the endeavor, which was established as the IWC in 2005, and until today, we recognize that this requires:
- a political (non-violent) settlement which is comprehensive, inclusive and integrated to address and resolve the root causes of the conflict and historical grievances
- a political process that rectifies the ongoing asymmetries and addresses all elements of the conflict
- the incorporation of third-party participation, as this is not a unilateral solution nor a bilateral issue but a multilateral responsibility to end the occupation and assist in resolution of the conflict
- genuine negotiations to determine the final resolution of all issues between the Palestinian people and Israel including refugees and East Jerusalem.
- end of the occupation to liberate the Palestinian people and enable them exercise their right to self determination
- meaningful participation of diverse women, including those from civil society, in any Israeli-Palestinian peace process, including negotiations and supportive initiatives as called for by Security Council resolution 1325;
- guarantees that gender equality and that women’s priorities and experiences be incorporated in any future resolution of the conflict.
These tenets have come to form the guiding principles of the IWC to achieve a just Palestinian-Israeli peace. Through our work together, for some members spanning more than two decades, we have experienced firsthand how women find creative ways to cross political and physical barriers to speak to one another and reach a common political understanding, rejecting the easy alternative of turning inward and deepening the distrust and acrimony between each society, particularly given the corrosive and destructive nature of the occupation.
We have also experienced how women working across lines of conflict cannot operate independently from the larger historical, regional, political, legal and human context. The IWC formed precisely around the urgency and opportunity of ensuring that women’s voices and perspectives are represented in any peace process. The failure of the prolonged peace process that accommodated Israeli unilateralism and power imbalances threatens the very foundation and objectives of peace. The irrevocable loss of the opportunity for a peaceful two-state solution threatens the stability and security of the whole region.
The IWC’s decision to disband comes at a time in which new and less restrictive structural and substantive initiatives are required. This is consistent with our support for international recognition of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State alongside Israel and the right of the Palestinian people for self- determination. Within the IWC, different approaches were proposed by the three groups to address the illegality of the continuing occupation that violates Palestinians’ human rights and undermines the chances for peace. Ultimately, what led to the dissolution of the IWC were substantive differences on how to translate the principles of accountability into direct action.
We were encouraged by the interest in the IWC shown by high-level decision-makers from many countries, from the Presidency of the European Union to Secretaries of State and Ministers of Foreign Affairs, and their willingness to hear women’s perspectives on peace.
We have been extremely fortunate to have had the support and partnership of a wide range of governments and organizations including the Governments of Spain and Norway, Oxfam Novib, Belgium and UN Women.
The IWC’s political vision was further enhanced by the participation and insights of our outstanding international colleagues: women of courage, resolve and vision who rose above the constraints of politics and self-interest. Such leaders include heads of states, foreign ministers, speakers of parliaments, heads of political parties and UN organizations. They continue to bring a gender perspective to the pursuit of a moral and just peace that embodies the aspirations of freedom, dignity and genuine human empowerment.
We believe that the IWC experience has been a valuable learning tool and a motivation for even more advanced engagement. As such, it forms a solid foundation from which lessons can be learned and on which other initiatives can be based.
