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

July 13, 2006 - (International Womens Comission) 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 Women’s 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:
Israel: Romy Shapira at romys@netvision.net.il, Tel: 00-972-54-2256633
Occupied Palestinian Territory: Nadia Hajal at nadiahajal@yahoo.com, Tel: 00-972-599-751208
UNIFEM: Osnat Lubrani at osnat.lubrani@unifem.org, Tel: 00-421-908-707781