Israeli and Palestinian women call on Quartet intervention to end conflict/Appeal by Intl. Women’s Commission – UNIFEM press release

---

Israeli and Palestinian Women Call on Quartet to Intervene to End the Conflict

Date: 13 July 2006

Members of the International Women’s Commission for a Just and Sustainable Palestinian-Israeli Peace (IWC) convened an emergency meeting in Athens, July 13, 2006. Following deliberations, the meeting issued the following appeal:

The present crisis is escalating out of control in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (especially in Gaza), Israel and Lebanon, threatening the region as a whole.

We reject the use of force. We call for an immediate end to the fighting and a return to the political process.

Civilians, mainly women and children, are paying the price daily for this vicious cycle of retaliation and counter-retaliation. This is a time of great danger. Political collapse will lead to total loss of control, anarchy and chaos. If no action is taken today, tomorrow will be too late.

We urgently request the Quartet to intervene immediately to stop the fighting.

We call upon the Quartet to dispatch high-level special envoys, including women, to mediate a truce and the exchange of prisoners, and to lead the parties back to political negotiations that address the root issues of the conflict.

This is the last chance for sanity. This is the last chance for a two-state solution.

The International Womens Commission for a Just and Sustainable Palestinian-Israeli Peace (IWC) is an international body of Palestinian, Israeli, and International women established in 2005 under the auspices of UNIFEM  in the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

For more information contact: 

---

International Womens Commission for a Just and Sustainable Palestinian-Israeli Peace
Joint Steering Committees Meeting
Hosted by IWC Member Antigoni Antigoni
July 12-15, Athens, Greece

List of Participants

IWC Members Palestine
1. S. Maha Abu Dayyeh Shamas, General Director, Women Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling
2. Samia Bamia, Steering Committee member, International Women's Commission
3. Zahira Kamal, Director, Women Centre for Studies and Research
4. Salwa Hdeib Kannam, Minister Deputy, Ministry of Women Affairs.
5. Tahani Abu Daqqa, Consultant and Women Activist , Community Development

IWC Members Israel
6. Naomi Chazan, Prof. of Political Science, Hebrew University, Jerusalem (emerita) & Head of School of Government and Society, Academic College, Tel-Aviv-Yaffo, Former Member of Knesset, Meretz Party, Former Deputy Speaker of Knesset
7. Galia Golan Prof. of Government, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (emerita) and Inter- disciplinary Center, Herzlyia, Executive board member of Peace Now  and Meretz – Yahad
8. Molly Malekar Director, Bat Shalom of the Jerusalem Link organization
9. Anat Saragusti, Journalist Channel 2 TV, board member Itach-Women Lawyers for Social Justice and Association of Civil Rights
10. Aida Touma-Sliman General Director, Women Against Violence organization

IWC Members International
11. Noeleen Hezyer, Executive Director, UNIFEM, Chair IWC
12. Feride Acar, Prof. of Political Science & Public Administration, Middle East Technical University, Ankara
13. Ana Gomes, Member of European Parliament (Portugal)
14. Antigoni Karali-Dimitriadi, Representative to UN CSW, CEDAW 1998-2004, Greece
15. Luisa Morgantini, Member of European Parliament (Italy), Chair of the European Parliament Development Committee
16. Jessica Neuwirth, President, Equality Now (USA)
17. Simone Susskind, Advisor Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice (Belgium)

Support Team
18. Nadia Hajal Bakleh, Coordinator, International Women's Commission (Palestine)
19. Romy Shapira, Coordinator, International Women's Commission (Israel)
20. Jacqui Hunt (Equality Now)
21. Osnat Lubrani (UNIFEM)

[This is a reproduction of an IWC press release.]