Vabilo na razpravo v slovenščini si lahko ogledate s klikom na povezavo.
In October 2023, the Middle East conflict that has marked last four generations of Israelis and Palestinians erupted again.
At the forefront of the civil peace movement in the Middle East are the Israeli organisation Women Wage Peace and the Palestinian organisation Women of the Sun, both nominated for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for their joint work. Yael Braude-Bahat, co-director at Women Wage Peace, was included on the BBC list of the world’s 100 most inspiring and influential women in 2023. Shortly before the outbreak of the latest conflict, when Women Wage Peace founder Vivian Silver was killed in a brutal Hamas attack on Israel, the sister organisations joined forces to launch the Mother’s Call for Peace, a petition to Israeli and Palestinian leaders for a just, inclusive and lasting agreement. The petition was presented to the public at a conference and a march for peace in Jerusalem on 4 October 2023.
On 8 March 2024, the day when women and their achievements are honoured around the Globe, the Bled Strategic Forum and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia invite you to a discussion Women in Pursuit of Peace in the Middle East, where the representatives of both women peace organisations will also be present. The discussion will take place at 18.30 in Ljubljana at Cankarjev Dom – CD Club (entrance from Erjavčeva street). The event will be introduced by Tanja Fajon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia.
To attend the event, a registration is required. You can register here. Registration is open until 5 March 2024. Places are limited, so it is recommended to register as soon as possible. The discussion will be live-streamed on the Bled Strategic Forum social media channels; it will be held in English with interpretation into Slovenian.
Women Wage Peace of Israel is represented by Manuela Rotstein from the Jewish community and Enam Odeh from the Arab community. Women of the Sun of Palestine is represented by its founder, Reem Hajajreh. They will present the two organisations and the goals they have set together, and share with the public their life stories and experiences of the conflict, their desire for peace and their hopes for their children. They will also talk about how we can help them to achieve all this.
The joint work of the two organisations is inspiring and gives hope that, despite the deep wounds and suffering in the region, coexistence is possible and necessary, and that dialogue, understanding and compassion between the two peoples are key to a lasting peace and a better future for new generations. At a time when peacemakers on both sides are confronted with rejectionism, fear and hatred, their cooperation is increasingly important and their capacity for dialogue and peaceful integration is really inspiring. Israeli and Palestinian women are a beacon of hope for the Middle East.
Women Wage Peace is a grassroots Israeli women’s peace movement that was formed shortly after the Gaza War in 2014. Its aim is to put pressure on the Israeli government to reach a bilaterally acceptable political agreement. The movement brings together Jewish and Arab Israeli women who stand in solidarity with the common goal of transforming the conflict and taking steps towards a peaceful shared future. Women of the Sun is a grassroots Palestinian women’s movement founded in 2020 to improve the lives of women and contribute to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
