Sisters are doing it for themselves!!!

Thought this was interesting news because perhaps the Old Boys Club in Israel is realizing that a better way to really establish peace in the region is to make sure women are involved in the process.

Isha L'Isha - Haifa Feminist Center is pleased to announce that the Knesset,Israel's Parliament, has just passed a new law mandating the inclusion ofwomen in teams appointed for peace negotiations and setting domestic,foreign or security policy. This law, an amendment to the 1956 EqualRepresentation of Women law, is a major milestone in the advancement ofwomen's rights in Israel.Isha L'Isha is proud to have been a driving force behind this law. IshaL'Isha professionals worked in partnership with the law's initiators,Members of Knesset Yuli Tamir and Eti Livni, from the beginning of the legalprocess. Isha L'Isha surveyed women's organizations to get their responseson the first draft of the bill and assembled the results into a brief forMKs Tamir and Livni. Isha L'Isha organized a large-scale grassrootscampaign, reaching out to all of its members and the members of otherwomen's and peace organizations, encouraging them to call, email and faxMembers of Knesset in support of the law. As a result, hundreds of womensent a very clear message to the Knesset about the importance of this law.Isha L'Isha also organized an influential media campaign about the law.After the law passed its first reading in March, Isha L'Isha worked activelyto ensure that the final draft would be as effective as possible and to helpensure that the law would pass in subsequent readings. Isha L'Isharepresentatives were invited to participate in Knesset debates on the lawand organized an ad hoc coalition consisting of representatives of women'sand peace organizations. The coalition met with Members of Knesset andparticipated in discussions about the final form of the law.Isha L'Isha's activities on behalf of this law are within the framework ofthe organization's Women Leading Peace project to implement UN Resolution1325, which calls for women's inclusion as full and equal partners in peaceprocesses. Isha L'Isha has also been active with public awareness effortsto bring the resolution to the public over the past two years, includingpublishing and distributing the resolution in Hebrew and Arabic, and holdingconferences, study days and lectures to increase grassroots support andactivism.Now that the inclusion of women on negotiating teams is mandatory, IshaL'Isha is moving ahead with the next phases of its efforts: guaranteeing apool of qualified women participants by training women leaders innegotiation skills, teaching conflict resolution to women in grassrootsleadership roles, and creating a directory of women in the public,governmental and private spheres who are strong candidates for inclusion onnegotiating teams. Isha L'Isha will also closely monitor the government'simplementation of the new law and will take legal measures to ensure that women are, in fact, appointed as mandated.