WIB Address to the Security Council of the United Nations<

On the Streets of Israel and New York

From: Gila Svirsky
Sent: Tue, October 29, 2002 10:15 AM

Friends,

I just returned from an intensive 4 days in New York and discovered -- after catching up by phone and e-mail -- that the frenetic pace of peace activism in Israel has not eased, and perhaps even increased.
Several updates: Olive Harvest
The olive harvest, with Israeli and international solidarity, continues apace, despite ongoing settler attacks. In response, the army first declared that the Palestinians must refrain from picking olives, then it rescinded the order, thanks to local activism combined with outraged messages from many of you. Nevertheless, several olive-pickers were injured by settlers in recent days, and the struggle continues, much of it organized and led by Rabbis for Human Rights, Ta'ayush, and the ISM. Activists from many organizations have pitched in, and a group accompanied the villagers of Khirbet Yanun as they returned to their homes, from which they fled last week after repeated settler attacks. Writes Hannah Safran of the Coalition of Women for Peace, "If you've never been in a Jewish shtetl [Yiddish for "small town"] in Eastern Europe during a pogrom, why not try it now with home-made Cossacks.... you will never forget the event and your politics will regain its anger and zest."

Settler violence against both Palestinians and soldiers (as the army attempted to remove new settler outposts) has had the useful by-product of again making settlers look like extremists and thugs among mainstream Israelis. Not surprisingly, Defense Minister Fuad Ben-Eliezer finds this the propitious moment to call upon his party to vote against Sharon's proposed new state budget on the grounds that the budget "gives too much to settlers and not enough to the poor". That's certainly true, despite the demagoguery. If the result is that the Labor party finally leaves the government coalition, we can expect elections before the scheduled date next November. But don't get your hopes up: The line of succession is dismal.
Other events

I missed many important actions this weekend, in addition to the olive-picking:

An inter-organizational rally protesting the impending war on Iraq (in international solidarity).

A Gush Shalom demonstration opposing the so-called 'security fence' -- which grabs even more Palestinian land and seeks to further erase the border with the Occupied Territories.

A Peace Now march marking 7 years to the assassination of Rabin, and calling for an end to the 'government of settlements'.

The opening of a moving exhibition of photos taken at checkpoints by Elisheva Smith, sponsored by Machsom Watch.

The jailing of several courageous young men who refuse to serve in the territories.

An action in the south Hebron hills region, where Ta'ayush activists walked kids home from school, kids who have not been allowed to attend during the long months of curfew.

This is a really frenzied pace for one weekend, as you can see. Which is why the Coalition of Women for Peace took time out for a long day of strategic planning -- to get perspective, prioritize our goals, and decide on the best strategies for reaching them. I wish I could have attended.

Instead, I had the good fortune to be invited, representing Women in Black, to address the UN Security Council on the subject of women at peace negotiations. This session was intended to spur compliance with Security Council Resolution 1325, which mandates the participation of women in all decision-making, including negotiations for peace. Also invited to speak were women peace activists from 3 other countries -- Burundi, Uganda, and India -- and one representative of the organizing group, a coalition called the "NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security". At the very last minute, the Syrian delegation, currently members of the Security Council, objected to a presentation by Israel, and others objected to a women from Gujarat, India, who (they imagined correctly) would be critical of the Indian government. Despite two of us being 'disinvited', the lot of us filed into the Security Council conference room and seated ourselves opposite the 15 members (and their advisors) at the so-called "experts table". (It's striking, isn't it, that NOT shooting or throwing a bomb requires expertise.)

When Indira Kajosevic of the "NGO Working Group" delivered her remarks, she cleverly presented summaries of the talks that the Indian woman and I had prepared, so I didn't feel altogether left out. But as the Security Council delegates discussed the issue -- oh, in complete agreement about equality for women, wouldn't you know -- I was sitting there wondering what would happen if I simply raised my hand, so I did. Almost at once the Chair recognized me, which astonished me and nearly left me speechless. After a fumbling beginning, I found my voice, distanced myself from the policies of the present Israeli government, talked about the accomplishments of women making peace with each other and the wisdom of including representatives of civil society (peace activists) at the negotiating table, and then said quietly that, actually, the conflict in the Middle East was not between Israelis and Palestinians. I should have paused longer for effect right here, but I waited as long as I thought I could without closing the window of opportunity. The conflict, I said softly, was actually between Israelis and Palestinians who long for peace, on one side, and Israelis and Palestinians who don't want peace, on the other. When I finished, the only speaker following me was the Syrian delegate, and -- to tell you the truth, my heart started to pound just then so I didn't hear a word -- I was later told that my final words headed off the usual Syrian broadside against Israel.

The "NGO Working Group" had also done a great job of arranging a press conference, briefings of senior UN officials, and a public reception, so we did have opportunities to get the message across. I also had the privilege of participating in not one, but two New York vigils of Women in Black -- the so-called Wednesday and Thursday groups -- and was moved to think of the large and spontaneous movement that is building across the globe.

The text I prepared in advance, never uttered in full, appears below. Many thanks to Ruth Linden for her help in polishing and paring it down to 5 short minutes. I do think they got the message, though.

Back home and more relaxed,

Gila Svirsky

Coalition of Women for a Just Peace

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