Around one thousand Jewish and Arab mothers marched in Jerusalem on Thursday, demanding peace with the Palestinians for the International Peace Day events of Women Wage Peace.
The women formed a human chain along the walls of the Old City in Jerusalem before assembling at Jaffa Gate Plaza for a rally. They called on leaders to negotiate towards a peace agreement for the sake of future generations.
“The events of the past year proved that it is impossible to manage the Israel-Palestinian conflict," said Nadia Hamdan, a member of Women Wage Peace.
“We, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze and Bedouin mothers, secular and religious, have joined together to say that we can no longer continue to live from one round of fighting to another. Campaign after campaign has not brought the security we were promised. It is time to begin negotiations towards a peace agreement which can create a reality of peace and security for us, our children and future generations.”
Women Wage Peace is the largest grassroots movement in Israel, with roughly 45,000 members, founded in the summer of 2014 after Operation Protective Edge. Their goal is to bring about the resolution of the Israeli Palestinian conflict, according to their website.
“I have worked as a midwife for over 35 years; I assisted Jewish and Arab women in the miracle of bringing a new life to the world. All our lives, as mothers, we try to protect our children; no Israeli or Palestinian mother should sacrifice her son to the dangers of war," said Ilana Shemesh, a member of Women Wage Peace from Moshav Yishresh.
“As mothers, we must shout to the heavens to find a political solution which will protect our children. No child has to kill another child and endanger himself. “