Women in Black, Baltimore

Part of an International Network for Peace. Women in Black, Baltimore joins with other women’s organizations worldwide to advocate for peace, justice, and an end to violence worldwide.

We Are Surrounded by Images of War and Violence.
We Present an Image of Peace.

 

Report from Israel by Molly Malekar via Gila Svirsky:

"We were about 60 women, only women: roughly 1/3 Israeli, 1/3
Palestinian, and 1/3 internationals. We gathered at Bidu to protest
the construction of the wall in this village. It was a quiet march, with
women carrying signs and walking toward the area where soldiers were
guarding the construction of the fence. At a distance of about 10
meters (30 feet) from them, we stopped walking because the soldiers turned to
point their rifles directly at us. I called out to them in Hebrew,
"Don't shoot, we're not armed, this is a nonviolent demonstration." Suddenly
there was an onslaught of tear gas and stun grenades, falling all
around us, completely out of proportion to the quiet, nonprovocative nature of
our action. The grenades fell right there at our feet and we were
choking, unable to breathe. Most dispersed and ran back. Soldiers
charged toward us and fell upon the women, grabbing some whom they
arrested. By then, there was no demonstration at all, nothing to
disperse. Most of the women had run back, trying to recover from the
tear gas, but I stayed as I wanted to talk to the soldiers to prevent the
arrest of the four women. Suddenly out of nowhere four horses charged,
with border police mounted on them. I started to run away, but one of
them ridden by a young woman in uniform caught up with me and she
struck me on my head with her billyclub. I fell, and then a second horse
charged toward me and I felt more blows on my head and back. There was no
provocation whatsoever at any point while this was happening."

Molly is the director of Bat Shalom, which is the women's peace
organization that forms the Israeli side of The Jerusalem Link (the
Palestinian side is called the Jerusalem Center for Women). Molly is
the most wonderfully serious and thoughtful woman you would ever want to
have at the head of your organization. Anyone who has ever met Molly knows
that she has never engaged in provocation, but has only been cautious
and respectful. I asked her by cell phone, on her way to the hospital, how
she feels and she said, "A horrible headache, my ears hurt, and I'm
aching from the blows. But let's think about how to wake people up to what is
happening out there. We have to wake people up."

Wake up, world! Hear O Israel, wake up!! Israeli soldiers have made
brutality a way of life against Palestinians, then they turned their
weapons and death upon international peace activists, and now they are
brutalizing Israelis who express disapproval of their ways. Who will
be the first one killed?

Writes US woman activist Starhawk, who participated in some of these
actions, "The Israelis who are involved in the day to day resistance
...
said to me that they know it is only a matter of time before there is
an Israeli ‘shaheed’— a martyr of the occupation. Being Israeli is no
longer a protection against the violence of the military."

What's worse: Nonviolence is no longer protection against the
brutality of the military, regardless of whether you are Israeli or Palestinian
or international. No one should be assaulted for peacefully
demonstrating, and yet that has become the norm. Today, all demonstrations that take
place in the territories -- whether by Palestinians or Israelis, women
or men, nonviolent or violent -- are treated to the same brutal behavior
of guns, stun grenades, and clubs. And no one investigates the incidents
in a serious, unbiased manner, meaning that the soldiers learn that they
can be cruel with impunity. What has happened? The occupation has happened. The occupation has corrupted the soul of Israel. A situation of "Ein din v'ein dayan", as the Bible says: "No law and no one standing in judgment".

There is anarchy in the soul of Israel today, and it won't be gone
until we uproot the occupation from our land and from our hearts.

Gila Svirsky
Jerusalem

For more information email mailto:wibbaltimore@hotmail.com