By María Suárez Toro &
Margaret Thompson
At noon on June 8th in more than 150 locations worldwide, women (and
some men) activists dressed in black repudiated the 34th year of the Israeli
occupation, by holding one-hour vigils. From Adelaide to Zurich,
from Cairo to Washington, from Jerusalem to the Maldive Islands, the voice
of this movement called out its message:
The events, sponsored by the Coalition of Women for a Just Peace in cooperation with like-minded organizations such as Women in Black, the Women´s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and others, called for an immediate end to the occupation. FIRE´s webcast VIGIL took place at 12:00 noon (Costa Rica time
or MST in the U.S.) and was repeated at 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm. During the
webcast, women organizers sent e-mail
messages about the activities they were organizing.
Women Report From Israel That Jerusalem Vigil Attracted Thousands of Supporters Also during the live webcast, FIRE interviewed by telephone two women
activists from Israel who described the vigil that took place earlier that
day in Jerusalem with thousands of mostly women and also men:
Rela Mazoli, a feminist and human rights activist from Israel explained that the Women in Black are calling for international intervention because the men who are in charge of the situation "are managing it badly, and they are not leading us toward peace, they are leading us deeper and deeper into bloodshed. And we [women] will not accept that."
Rela described to FIRE her work with an organization called New Profile,which is a feminist movement working for Israel's demilitarization:
Other Women Echo Importance of Ending Injustice FIRE interviewed Leila Nijim, a Palestinian living in Madison, Wisconsin
who attended the vigil there. Leila, who visits her home in Palestine
quite often, said that it was very heartening for her to see how many Israelis
share her feelings, that "unless there is fairness, justice and equality
for all, there not not going to be a lasting peace":
Leila was one of nearly a hundred who attended the vigil in Madison,
Wisconsin. Others included a variety of Palestinians, Arabs, Jews,
and other political and religious groups and individuals:
If Women Sat Down at the Peace Tables... Mary Layoun, an Arab-American peace and justice activist whose family
emigrated from Lebanon, said that she felt that if women were to sit down
at the peace tables in the Middle East right now, they would do more listening:
"One of the things that you learn about not being listened to is both to
speak, but also to listen because you have had to learn listening.
And there can’t be a just peace unless we listen. And I also think
there is a time in which you say no, enough! This is it. But
first I’d listen." Listen to Mary as she talks to FIRE at the vigil
in Madison, Wisconsin, , and demands an end to futile violent solutions,
but a just peace:
Vigil in Remote Area of Israel Met Violent Repression Despite the peaceful intentions of protestors, one of the vigils resulted in violent repression from authorities. FIRE received a report from Neta Golan via Gila Svirsky in Israel about a protest march by Palestinian villagers in al-Khader, along with a few brave Israelis and internationals. The marchers were protesting the encroachment of Israeli settlers from nearby Efrat, a new settlement that was built after Sharon was elected, and that he promised would be dismantled, but had not been yet. Instead, the settlers had set down three mobile homes near al-Khader to "establish ownership." Although the protestors in al-Khader
staged a nonviolent peaceful march, Israeli security forces responded by
beating up several of the participants and arresting six, breaking Neta
Golan's elbow by viciously twisting her arm, and then refusing her medical
treatment until her release several hours later. There were no media
present, which contributed to the feeling that "no one was watching" the
security forces, according to Neta. She said that it pained
her to see settlers roaming the hills at their pleasure, while the Palestinians,
who wanted to demonstrate nonviolently, were being suppressed with violence.
Neta noted that the suppression of nonviolence only makes people become
violent.
The Coalition of Women for a Just Peace The June 8th vigil was organized in Israel by the Coalition
of Women for a Just Peace, which is comprised of 10 women's organizations,
including: Bat Shalom – The Israeli side of The Jerusalem Link –
A Women’s Joint Venture for Peace; Women in Black; Women and Mothers for
Peace (Former activists of the Four Mothers Movement); Women Engendering
Peace; New Profile - Movement for the Civil-ization of Israeli Society;
WILPF –Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom - Israeli chapter;
TANDI – Movement of Democratic Women for Israel; Noga Feminist
Magazine; NELED (“Women for Coexistence”); and Machsom-Watch;
Principles of the Coalition We Jewish and Palestinian women, citizens of Israel – representatives of various women’s organizations and individuals – have agreed to coordinate and organize joint activities in order to work together for a just peace based on the following principles: § An end to the occupation.
Women in Black Vigil Part of International Women's Peace Movement The worldwide vigil was part of an international peace movement of Women
in Black, and was joined by hundreds of other women's organizations world
wide.
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