The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation

Travelling often to the occupied territories, intensive meetings with Pal -
estinian colleagues, reading reports of human rights groups and settlement
monitors – the reality hit on the face. Upon returning back home
to Israeli reality, where growing numbers of women were asking to take
part in peace work and meet Palestinian women, I turned schizophrenic.
A series of meetings with foreign diplomats, experts and journalists all
ended with the same reactions as that of my friend. Peace needs time,
the politicians are still talking, arrangements will be made – we were
told. Our job, we were also told, is to create a positive climate which
will provide the moral support to the political leadership to come to an
agreement. Women have a special role in creating that positive environment;
we were encouraged by all agencies and foundations for peace.
Indeed women were keen to play their part in peace-building. The most
popular of all programmes of Bat Shalom were joint meetings with Pal -
estinian women. This was an opportunity for many Israeli women to
practice their universal feminist views. Yet this authentic search for meet -
ings with Palestinian women faced the gloomy reality of politics, as de -
scribed above.
Who are you, and who do you represent?
There is the romantic perception that women from both sides of the national
conflict are able to transcend national boundaries. But nationalism
tends to use the privilege of women’s institutions to force women to
demonstrate their ultimate loyalty to their own national collective. The
majority of Israeli women find it hard to challenge the hegemony of the
narrative. Almost in every family, there is a soldier. The fundamental demand
upon Israeli women is to serve as the devoted mothers of those
soldiers. It is painful for them women to start investigating what kind of
mission and operation their own son, husband, or brother is engaged in.
The harsh distinction between traitors and patriots created a distress
that was hard to live with.
On the other hand, the core group of feminist peace activists held a set
of beliefs and an ideology that goes beyond nationalism and local patriot -
ism. These women “gave up” nationalism, were critical towards the na-
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