Health and Fitness

Women Are Taking Rightful Place at Peace Table

in JerusalemThe Middle East, and the latest Intifada, has thwarted the efforts of all peacemakers. The problems of trust that women face when reaching out to other women across the battle lines are amply illustrated by Jerusalem Link. For seven years, the organization has brought Israeli women from Bat Shalom together with their Palestinian counterparts in the Jerusalem Center for Women. "The idea was that we would agree on a solution and declare it to the public and get the authorities to discuss it," said Amneh Badran, the acting director of the center. At first, they succeeded in hammering out proposals on the less contentious issues. But when they got to the fate of Jerusalem two years ago, they bogged down. They agreed that both sides should share the city, but not how to draw the dividing line. Talks then ground to a halt over the issue of returning Palestinian refugees. And they all but collapsed when the Palestinians accused Bat Shalom of having on its team a Jewish settler, a member of a group they refused to talk to. "We need to rebuild trust," said Badran. Debby Lerman, a Bat Shalom board member, admitted that Jerusalem Link was "at the low ebb of a bad situation. Our major achievement, even though all these problems are going on, is that the Jerusalem Link still exists. Even though it"s tenuous and slim, we keep on communicating." Like women in peace groups around the world, Bat Shalom members also have to deal with hawkish members of the general public. Some have received telephone threats. "People are using the language of racism and hatred," she said. But Lerman and her colleagues take hope from the success of another peace group, now dissolved, called Four Mothers. Its members campaigned for years against the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. "Slowly they eroded the support for staying there," said Lerman. Her choice of words is telling though. The Four Mothers is not "credited" with bringing about the Israeli Defense Force"s retreat, but "guilty" of it. Paul Rodgers is a Canadian free-lance writer and editor working in London.

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