October 16, 2003
Awakened Woman's Circle is working for peace
The Upcoming International Human Rights March in Palestine and Israel
by Gila Svirsky
Dear Friends,
Please think seriously about joining our women's human rights march in Israel and Palestine this winter.
What, you haven't yet heard about it?
Here's a capsule summary:
A group of enterprising women from Oslo (who have to their credit some impressive human rights marches in Central America, Russia, and elsewhere) have decided to bring their skills to bear on the Middle East conflict.
Women's organizations in Israel and Palestine have mobilized to support and organize this project on the ground. After several postponements due to the fluid situation in this region, we now all agree to the following final dates: December 20, 2003 to January 11, 2004.
During this 3-week period, we have
planned an itinerary that will include
daily: a march (walk) to advocate peace and human rights,
discussions with
individuals and organizations that are part of civil
society, cultural and
musical exchange (bring instruments and voices), and of
course some basic
sightseeing. And we will be walking through both Israel and
Palestine,
splitting the days about evenly between them.
We are calling this The
International Human Rights March in Palestine and
Israel. Hundreds of women from all over the world have
already begun to
register and join. The more who come, the better, in terms
of conveying our message.
Please see the website
www.humanrightsmarch.org for important basic
information about the march. Don't miss the FAQs section on
that site,
which contains the heart of the matter. If you still have
questions, write
to the Organizing Committee in your own country, which you
will also find
on the website.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Committee has
prepared the following replies to
questions that have been directed to us.
Who are the Israelis sponsoring the March?
The Coalition of Women for Peace, which represents 9 women's peace
organizations in Israel. To learn more about us, see our website
http://www.coalitionofwomen4peace.org/
Who are the Palestinians sponsoring the March?
The General Union of Palestinian Women, a large organization, which you can
learn about at http://www.gupw.net, together with the Jerusalem Center for
Women (the Palestinian side of The Jerusalem Link), which you can learn
about at http://www.jcw.org.
What are the goals of the March from the Israeli perspective?
On the Israeli side, we have set our goals as follows: To inform
international women about the realities of the political conflict in this
region, to introduce you to the (amazing) women's peace movements in Israel
and Palestine and our feminist vision for peace, and to mobilize your
international support for this vision.
Can I come for only part of the March?
Definitely. We would be delighted to welcome you whenever you come and for
whatever length of time during the March period.
The full March period begins on December 21 in Tel Aviv and ends on January
10 in Jerusalem. To come for the entire period, plan to fly into Tel Aviv
on December 20th and depart on January 11th.
If you want to come in the middle, however, let us know when you will be
arriving, and we will either meet your plane or give you detailed
instructions about how to meet up with the group.
What is the itinerary?
We start in Tel Aviv and spend the first 4 days in Israel, marching and
sightseeing in Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Beersheba, and Bedouin areas in the south.
From there, the group will proceed to Bethlehem, Nablus, Ramallah, Hebron,
and other sites in the West Bank for about 10 days. Then the group will
return to Israel for Nazareth, Tiberias, the Galilee, Haifa, and end in
Jerusalem on January 10.
This itinerary is subject to change, depending on the circumstances, but we
shall try to adhere to the set schedule.
Will it be safe?
We are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of the participants in
all areas visited. Of course we cannot guarantee that the situation will be
calm during this period, and therefore we may have to change plans as the
need arises to ensure maximum safety, given the circumstances.
Will we be able to enter Israel and the territories?
We have every reason to believe that you will be able to enter Israel and
the territories. This is the Christmas season, and many visitors and
pilgrims come to this region to see religious sites. If this is true for
you, you may want to mention this upon entry, if you are asked why you are
visiting Israel.
More information?
Please see the international website: http://humanrightsmarch.org
Especially important: Click into the website FAQs page at:
http://humanrightsmarch.org/en/index.php?page=contents/faq.html
You will find here important information for planning your trip.
The website also contains contact information for Committees in many
countries, who are organizing groups exactly where you live.
In Israel, we are very excited about this March, and hope to meet and
welcome as many of you as possible this December.
The Organizing Committee in Israel:
Omaima abu-Ras, Taibe
Nicole Cohen-Addad, Tel-Aviv
Rachel Amram, Jerusalem
Yvonne Deutsch, Jerusalem
Pnina Firestone, Jerusalem
Yana Knopova, Haifa
Gili Pliskin, Tel-Aviv
Taghrid Shbeita, Tira
Aliyah Strauss, Jaffa
Gila Svirsky, Jerusalem
Alix Weizmann, Tel-Aviv
for the Coalition of Women for Peace
www.coalitionofwomen4peace.org
mail@coalitionofwomen4peace.org
P.S. Please feel free to share this information with your friends!