The Peacemakers
Updated: Sep 28
The Role of Women in Building Sustainable Peace in Israel and Palestine
It has been over two years since the deadly October 7th attacks that exacerbated the destructive conflict between Israel and Palestine. With over 72,000 dead and counting, the world is looking for any glimmer of hope to produce a lasting peace agreement. Attempts at a ceasefire have been at the forefront of foreign policy agendas, yet no enduring solution has materialized. This persistent failure has prompted the following questions: Is there a new way to look at the Israel-Palestinian conflict-resolution process? Which perspectives have been neglected that could lead to an organic and sustainable end to this conflict? The answer may be as simple as including women at the negotiating table.
Historically, women’s political action in the Middle East has aligned with other social justice movements. Most recently, during the Arab Spring, women's role on social media and at protests calling for democratization and civil liberties was remarkably impactful. At present, Palestinian women protest Israeli occupation, while Israeli women have lodged their own protest against Israel’s continued war.
A key factor that makes the role of women in the Middle East so consequential at present is the disproportionate impact the Israel-Palestinian conflict has on women, versus those at the negotiating table. Women continue to face sexual assault and harassment, miss critical prenatal care windows, and lack access to reproductive care. By October 2024, women in
Gaza were three times more likely to die from childbirth and three times more likely to miscarry compared to levels before October 2023. Yet the international community seems to overlook the role of women in global conflict resolution and their propensity to coalesce grassroots peace campaigns and civil society across ethnic and socioeconomic divides.
Traditional perspectives that dominate decision-making processes have an exclusionary focus on areas considered 'high' politics, such as sovereignty and military security, overlooking women's decision-making, social influence, and the gendered impacts of global politics. In particular, the female perspective is beneficial for understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as it uncovers the gendered power structures that shape military conflict while amplifying women’s contributions to peace-building. A deep understanding of international relations and the foundations of peace-building requires a lens that examines the role of women and their often untapped diplomatic potential. Including women’s voices in high-level decision-making highlights the importance of intersectionality in global politics, emphasizing the need for a bottom-up approach to peace, rather than a trickle-down one.
Why then are women positioned to be a key factor in the peace-making process?
The United Nations Development Programme indicates that women’s involvement in peace negotiations contributes to the “quality and durability” of peace agreements, including stipulations aimed at political reform, human security, and, overall, higher implementation rates. Beyond their roles as intermediaries, women are adept at building coalitions for peace. Women frequently mobilize groups in civil society, working across ethnic, religious, political, and cultural divides, otherwise referred to as horizontal bridge-building. Their involvement in community-building and influence on maternal protection can help to build trust and safety within communities. Women also bridge the vertical divide between elites and the grassroots, increasing the odds of lasting peace through promoting buy-in incentives and community-based legitimacy. The participation or representation of civil society groups in the peace-making process reduces the likelihood of a peace agreement failing by 64%.
What’s more, female security sector officials tend to have access to populations and organizations that are either closed to men or female-dominated, as seen in the Afghan conflict, where only women security officials were able to visit, speak to, and gather information from Afghan women in hospitals, camps, and even at their homes. This advantage allows women to gather intelligence, observe lived experiences, and understand the desires and needs of the general population within the framework of peace-building. This ground-level work allows women to focus on human security that improves civilians’ quality of life, rather than focusing solely on big-picture diplomacy, which often lacks the necessary nuance.
It is important to note that although the importance of women’s participation in governance and conflict prevention and resolution has been enshrined in policy by both the Israeli and Palestinian governments, both parties have fallen short in achieving inclusive representation. In essence, empirical benchmarks don’t necessarily translate to de facto representation and inclusion, particularly at the negotiating table.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict’s disproportionate gendered impacts and exclusive high politics peace-building neglect a key voice at the negotiating table. Gender-inclusive policymaking helps to question the automatic assumption that military force is the most effective or appropriate response, and reiterate the importance of basic human security measures and stability. The lived experience of women may guide decision-makers away from continued violence and towards a more sustainable and inclusive peace.
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