Israel - Parliament/Knesset Passes New Law Mandating Inclusion of Women for Peace & Security Negotiations & Policy
PRESS RELEASE

July 21, 2005 - Isha L'Isha Haifa Feminist Center is pleased to announce that the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, has just passed a new law mandating the inclusion of women in teams appointed for peace negotiations and setting domestic, foreign or security policy. This law, an amendment to the 1956 Equal Representation of Women law, is a major milestone in the advancement of women's rights in Israel.

Isha L'Isha is proud to have been a driving force behind this law. Isha L'Isha professionals worked in partnership with the law's initiators, Members of Knesset Yuli Tamir and Eti Livni, from the beginning of the legal process. Isha L'Isha surveyed women's organizations to get their responses on the first draft of the bill and assembled the results into a brief for MKs Tamir and Livni. Isha L'Isha organized a large-scale grassroots campaign, reaching out to all of its members and the members of other women's and peace organizations, encouraging them to call, email and fax Members of Knesset in support of the law. As a result, hundreds of women sent a very clear message to the Knesset about the importance of this law. Isha L'Isha also organized an influential media campaign about the law.

After the law passed its first reading in March, Isha L'Isha worked actively to ensure that the final draft would be as effective as possible and to help ensure that the law would pass in subsequent readings. Isha L'Isha representatives were invited to participate in Knesset debates on the law and organized an ad hoc coalition consisting of representatives of women's and peace organizations. The coalition met with Members of Knesset and participated in discussions about the final form of the law.

Isha L'Isha's activities on behalf of this law are within the framework of the organization's Women Leading Peace project to implement UN Resolution 1325, which calls for women's inclusion as full and equal partners in peace processes. Isha L'Isha has also been active with public awareness efforts to bring the resolution to the public over the past two years, including publishing and distributing the resolution in Hebrew and Arabic, and holding conferences, study days and lectures to increase grassroots support and activism.

Now that the inclusion of women on negotiating teams is mandatory, Isha L'Isha is moving ahead with the next phases of its efforts: guaranteeing a pool of qualified women participants by training women leaders in negotiation skills, teaching conflict resolution to women in grassroots leadership roles, and creating a directory of women in the public, governmental and private spheres who are strong candidates for inclusion on negotiating teams. Isha L'Isha will also closely monitor the government's implementation of the new law and will take legal measures to ensure that women are, in fact, appointed as mandated.