Israeli and Palestinian Women Together

Israeli and Palestinian women come together to celebrate Women's Day, which here in Jerusalem takes on a meaning all of its own: no protest or struggle for equality, only, we believe, an example to follow and a message.  For everyone. The appointment is at the Jaffa Gate ... a group of Jewish women, coming from various parts of Israel and from Jerusalem, walk along the wall of the city towards the Herod's Gate, entrance to the Muslim Arab quarter of the old city, where a large group of Palestinian women, with many smiles and Arab food, is waiting for them. Nothing is taken for granted in a city where everything is divided because of a conflict that has created, and continues to create, even among ordinary people, prejudice and mistrust. The founder of this initiative, supported for the first time by the City of Jerusalem, is Dvora Pearlman.   DVORA PEARLMAN, creator of the Women's Day March: "The situation does not concern only women, ... there are many 'old ways', which are deeply rooted, above all here in the cld city.  What we promote is a new way: instead of the road of separation, the new way is unification ... a path to unity. How and when will it happen? I hope that it happens today..."And it was a success, judging from these images which tell of a great desire to meet, to be together, to get to know each other, regardless of the cultural and linguistic differences ...GHADIR SHRAH, Center for Women "Burj Al Luqluq":  "A very beautiful day, very special because we are Israeli and Arab women. It is very good to be all together ...".WEDAD Aleina OTMAN, Family and Women Department- Municipality of Jerusalem: "We live in a conflict here. But the women want to live together and in peace ... but only the women can do it. "GILYA TOUEG ZELINGER: "Today it is wonderful that there are more Palestinian women than Israeli ... for many years the Israeli women have been trying to create this peace movement and they seem tired of climbing the mountains to reach the objective of peace and today is a miracle.  I feel that something new has happened here now..."  The program of the day: a walk along the streets of the Old City and then, in the afternoon, visiting museums. Without doing anything special, these women here today have experienced and shown a new way. Convinced that peace can come from the heart, and especially the hearts of women, strong and courageous mothers who fight in this way for the future of this land and their children.GILYA TOUEG ZELINGER: "I want to tell you that my son is 18 and is about to begin his military service ... since he was a child, when I took him to the nursery and hugged him, I would tell him 'a hug a day will bring peace'.  And today I told him, "Tomar, I am going there for you, because I want to get this peace for you...".The hope is that this land, this city, will one day be like them ...

Category:

News & Politics