In January, we were joined by 25 leading Jewish and Arab women, many of them civil society leaders, activists, academics, and senior educators, for a two-day seminar in Jerusalem. On day one, the group heard from expert speakers and GI staff about the two-state solution in light of the current political and diplomatic situation, the main obstacles to peace on both sides, and the importance of recognizing the narratives of the other side. The group discussed the effects of the conflict on women and children, and the essential role women can play in ending it. On the second day of the seminar, we were joined by expert tour guides who presented the group with an overview of the core issues relating to the city, and created a picture of daily life for Palestinian residents of the city. These seminars empower women and provide them with the tools and knowledge to participate to reconciliation, conflict, and peace-building discourse, conversations which are currently dominated by men.
