Palestinian & Israeli Women Confer on Civil Disobedience

This is the kind of info. that doesn’t come across the transom often.–Lilly:

…. 250 women, both Israeli citizens and Palestinians from the West Bank (in roughly equal numbers), spent the day discussing ways to practice civil disobedience. …

Fida Arar and Ghadeer Abu Ayyash, from Beit Ommar, and Yusra Hammam of Hussan described in detail the suffering of Palestinian women at the checkpoints on the way to work. In addition to the burden of providing for their families (with fathers and husbands often imprisoned or unable to get work) they are forced to spend long hours in line on a daily basis, and to undergo often humiliating searches. The Palestinian women also called attention to the impoverished status of women within Palestinian society, and called upon women to insist on their rights for education and more freedom of choice.

Sara Beninga, an activist in the Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement, focused on the political investigation initiated by the Israeli police against the activists. Crying slogans against the occupation is now labeled as
“incitement” and criminalized, she explained, and thus, “joint non-violent activity by Palestinians and Israelis against the occupation is presently conceived as the most intimidating threat to the Israeli regime.”

Participants directly referred to the killing attack in the Itamar settlement in the West Bank few hours before the conference took place. Rivka Sum, a veteran Israeli activist, said: “These violent events, which will not end as long as the occupation continues, stress the commitment we must have to act together daily to end the present situation which is impossible.” Another Israeli said “Our objection to violence also includes the phenomena of Palestinian Baruch Goldstein”….

On the Palestinian side one of the women said: “We too condemn the use of violence. It has not contributed to our progress but on the contrary, back fires on our own public”.

Participants described the path-breaking conference, which was planned to coincide with International Women’s Day, as a powerful emotional experience. … [See entire article at the Women Living Under Muslim Law website.]