The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation

decided to carry out massive attack on Hezbollah headquarters in Beirut,
killing around 900 people. Hezbollah retaliated by launching hundred of
rockets towards Israel, killing about forty people. The air attacks were
followed by a ground invasion of Lebanon. The concrete aims of the military
operation were not clear to the army. The Israeli media questioned
whether the policy-making authorities had any strategic plan, or were
merely being carried along by circumstances.
This war found the Israeli civilians vulnerable and frightened. The rockets
reached almost to the centre of the state, Haifa and beyond. The civil
administration and the local authorities were not prepared for the war;
many citizens began questioning the dysfunctional nature of the government
and the army.
Continuous violence on the southern border
During the ensuing war in southern Lebanon, the Israeli army and the
Hamas militia groups continued fighting. Arms from Iran and other sources
were smuggled through the Rafah tunnels. Israel’s harsh attacks on the
tunnels, the killing of innocent civilians and the destruction of their infra -
structure, sparked major international criticism and condemnation.
At the end of 2006, Premier Ehud Olmert announced a new Israeli diplomatic
initiative, offering peace agreement based on the Arab Peace
Initiative; it was the first Israeli leader to refer positively to the Arab initiative.
President Abbas welcomed it, while Hamas and the Israeli rightwing
parties condemned it.
A meeting of Abbas and Olmert on December 2006 ended with Israel’s
approval of some concessions to make life easier for Palestinians, includ -
ing the release of tax funds being held in Israel, and the Israeli media reported
of a new peace plan. These moves which were seen as attempts
to support and encourage the moderate leadership in Ramallah.
The Annapolis summit
Building upon the Arab Peace Initiative, the concern caused by the
Hamas takeover of Gaza and the potential explosive situation in the
area, USA calls for a peace summit for November 26, in Annapolis, near
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