The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation

kind of “global trans-border sisterhood”. The Palestinian women insisted
on staying in the context of national liberation. They were hoping that,
by sharing their suffering under the occupation with Israeli women, they
would be able to ultimately move the Israeli leadership towards a peace
oriented policy.
The tactics of “stories of sufferings” were occasionally counter-productive.
Many Israelis felt they are pushed into a corner, and were in a
constant apologetic stance. The ritual of stories of suffering, perceived
by the Palestinians as the path to trust building, was perceived by the
Israelis as counter-productive and destructive.
Behind the curtains vs. the real world
Paradoxically, the naïve assumption that women might conduct different
politics, or demonstrate more flexible behaviour, was not necessarily
proved in reality.
The “real world” penetrated all aspects of the dialogue. Not only the
unequal distribution of power between the occupier and the occupied,
but women had to carry the extra burden of gender.
Among the Israeli women, especially the nuclear group of activists, who
came to the meeting as individuals, had already been positioned in their
own society as “non-conformists” and as critical towards their own gov -
ernment and society; they had not much to lose, they presumed. This
marginality allowed them more freedom to exercise political thinking, to
dare to cross red lines, and to carry proudly the banner of the avantgarde.
They were less concerned about repercussions. Presumably, they
suffered no repercussions; however, they were less effective in enlarg -
ing their impact beyond the circle of those already convinced.
Palestinian women on the other hand felt that the “big brother” was
watching them all the time. Their vulnerability occasionally led them to
militancy. They were afraid to appear as compromising their national
cause, their party line and their surroundings.
In this context, the asymmetry of power between the sides caused a
shift in favour of the Palestinians, as they would appeared to be the ones
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