CMEP Bulletin: Women Wage Peace: A Bridge in a Divided Land

CMEP Bulletin: Women Wage Peace: A Bridge in a Divided Land

CMEP_logo.jpgBreaking Barriers, Arab-Israeli Women Join Movement to ‘Wage Peace’ [The Christian Science Monitor]

“There are now hundreds of Arab female citizens of Israel who are active in the group, according to a spokesperson, a steady climb in membership since the group began during the most recent war between Israel and Hamas, in the summer of 2014 in Gaza. … [Members] say not working with their Jewish counterparts for the common cause of peace is not an option. The way they see it, it’s the only way any fundamental change can ever happen. Women Wage Peace casts itself as a big-tent type of movement. It’s not affiliated with any political party, and instead urges women of all backgrounds and political leanings to come together and demand that Israeli and Palestinian leaders return to the negotiating table after years of stalemate. They are not endorsing any specific peace plan, and they discourage using potentially politically divisive language like ‘occupation’ to refer to Israel’s control of Palestinian areas,” according to The Christian Science Monitor.

Hamas Sees Internal Stirrings of Dissent Over Reconciliation Deal [Times of Israel]

“Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a key Hamas leader in the West Bank and one of the organization’s most influential figures, said Tuesday that the much-lauded reconciliation agreement between Hamas and Fatah ‘is only a media event.’ … In comments made public on Tuesday, two weeks after the signing of the agreement, Yousef pointed to the PA’s arrests in recent days of many activists from Hamas and other groups throughout the West Bank. Yousef, who was only recently released from an Israeli jail, also noted that the PA’s sanctions against the Gaza Strip remain in place,” according to the Times of Israel.

Meet the Generation of Palestinian Division [Al-Monitor]

“According to statistics from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) issued on Aug. 12, 2016, young people between the ages of 15 and 29 represent 30% of the total Palestinian population. This means that 30% of Palestine’s population grew up with the events of the division between the two movements, news of partisan rivalries and the sounds of war. … The siege imposed on the Gaza Strip since 2007 and the aftermath of three wars have left their mark on the economic structure, have reduced production and employment opportunities, have caused the continuous closure of crossings and borders, have increased poverty, and have generated multiple crises,” according to Al-Monitor.

Click here to read the full Churches for Middle East Peace Bulletin, including links to these stories.