Peace

In the past few weeks Israelis and Palestinians are facing increased violence. What are the reasons behind this new round of escalation? Have a look at the short movie from our latest discussion.  

Those convinced that Israel should not have been created in the first place, are entitled to their opinion. They must come clean about seeking a post-Israel endgame. An essay by Prof. Dan Rabinowitz

Last December, the Israeli Government decided to establish a governmental committee to create a National Action Plan in the spirit  of UN Security Council Resolution 1325. The resolution calls on UN member states to protect women from violence, increase the participation of diverse women in decision-making bodies, and for the prevention of armed conflict. This video and the text that follows tells the story of the journey of civil society NGOs to create an Action Plan for Israel.

Dr. Sarai Aharoni discusses the exceptional status of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (which is one of the longstanding issues on the UN agenda) as one of the intriguing puzzles of current global feminist politics. Could it be that the situation of Palestinian women and girls under Israeli occupation is the most extreme breach of the Beijing Platform of Action? (From the HBS Gunda-Werner-Institute)

Stav Shafir, the youngest Member of Knesset, scored a major political achievement last week, coming in second at the Labor Party primary elections. While many newly elected MKs tend to fade into the back rows of the opposition, Shafir, elected at age 27, has shined. (History Central) The following Interview does not formally represent an official endorsement or view of The Heinrich Böll Foundation Israel.

Israel must have mechanisms to guarantee its security and to ensure that Gaza will not rearm itself for the next war.

For those on the left, simply beginning an operation without definite political objectives, and the terrible price paid for that decision with the lives of civilians and soldiers on both sides, was bad enough, particularly when accompanied by the loss of a window of opportunity for an Israeli peace initiative with the Palestinian Authority.

The most recent round of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has paused. Each side has experienced the period in a profoundly different way, and future policies that may even deepen the animosity. Read some of the main observations, questions, and speculations from our partners at +972 magazine.  

“We can only imagine how government ministers would give official statements saying that instead of investing in war, investments will be made to promote joint ventures of social welfare, education, environment and many more”. Heinrich Boell Foundation’s partner Itach Maaki – Women Lawyers for Social Justice has been working to promote such a vision for the past years.  Adv. Anat Thon Ashkenazi analyses how UNSCR 1325 on Women Peace and Security is relevant to the current situation in Palestine and Israel.