Amplifying Women's Voices in Israel & Palestine

UNSCR 1325 Anniversary: Upcoming Itach Maaki Collaboration: 

2025 marks the 25th anniversary year of UN Security Resolution 1325. UNSCR 1325 calls for the adoption of a gendered perspective to consider the special needs of women and girls during conflict, repatriation and resettlement, rehabilitation, reintegration, and post-conflict reconstruction. Based on these perspectives, ALLMEP’s Women’s Leadership Network (WLN) will be launching a Women’s Skills Training project in collaboration with the Women’s Peace and Security Center of Itach-Maaki/Women Lawyers for Social Justice. This program will focus on training Israeli and Palestinian women for advocacy, negotiation, and representation in local and international decision-making bodies on peace and security issues. This WLN project will have a comprehensive preparation phase to ensure curriculum and group formation is customized and targeted toward participants’ specific needs, followed by two online meetings for orientation and expertise, and ending with two in person workshop days to build and implement public speaking, advocacy, and negotiation skills. We estimate a project budget of $80,000 to cover facilitation, guest lectures, material preparation, and other operating costs. Your support for this project will help the Palestinian and Israeli women of the WLN network to gain and put into use knowledge and practical skills that will strengthen their ability to advocate for peacebuilding efforts with the insights of gendered perspectives. 

Bridging the Gap Between Civil Society and Political Power: A Promising WLN Session:

On the heels of our successful Women’s Leadership Network launch in March, ALLMEP  brought together female activists and leaders from Israel and Palestine to continue the progress in early May, 2025. Over five days, twenty-five women, representing twenty-two civil society organizations, gathered in Nicosia, Cyprus. Facilitated by Eva Dalak — a seasoned expert in conflict transformation with over twenty-five years of experience — the program tackled the complex barriers women face in accessing decision-making spaces. Sessions explored leadership development, trauma-informed approaches to peacebuilding, and the structural and cultural challenges that keep women’s perspectives marginalized in both local and international spheres. This workshop emphasized the critical intersection between grassroots leadership and high-level political engagement. Because while our network includes experienced and impactful women leaders, they remain underrepresented politically on both sides of the conflict and are too often overlooked by the international community. 

Hope for the Future: Women’s Leadership Network:

Our Women Skills Training Project will enable the WLN to continue to leverage the power of collaboration among women from diverse backgrounds in the coming months to respond to developing events in the region and to allow for long-term strategies. Participants will include Palestinians from the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), Palestinian citizens of Israel (PCI), and Jewish Israelis. Through hybrid meetings, capacity-building workshops, mentorship, and international advocacy, The Skills Training Project will enable the WLN to help scale their outreach and objectives of continuous dialogue and knowledge exchange, ensuring that women’s perspectives are integrated into the broader peace process and central to conflict resolution and political solutions in the region. Despite ongoing regional challenges, ALLMEP remains committed to advancing gender-inclusive peace efforts, and we rely on your donations to help foster such efforts and amplify the voices of women peacebuilders.

Building Recognition and Support for Women in Peacebuilding: In recent weeks, the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) has made significant strides in strengthening international recognition and support for Israeli and Palestinian women in peacebuilding. A key milestone was the launch of the Women’s Leadership Network (WLN) in Jerusalem on February 27, bringing together over fifty women in person and an additional twenty-four participants online. The event convened diplomats, policymakers, and peace practitioners to discuss the critical role of gender-inclusive peacebuilding and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325. Her Excellency Ms. Sonya McGuinness, Ambassador of Ireland to Israel, opened the event with remarks, followed by a welcome address from ALLMEP’s Regional Director, Nivine Sandouka. She highlighted the significance of the gathering, particularly in light of increasing violence in the region, mounting challenges for Palestinians in obtaining permits, and the suspension of USAID and MEPPA funding. She stressed that civil society peacebuilding is more essential than ever.

For the Future: Women in Peacebuilding – Film Launch: With the 25th anniversary of UNSCR 1325, ALLMEP also introduced its educational short film, For the Future: Women in Peacebuilding. The film profiles three prominent women activists from ALLMEP’s network: May Pundak, Rula Daood, and Nivine Sandouka. The film underscores the leadership and resilience of women in peacebuilding and will be officially released on April 6, with pre-screenings held in European capitals, New York, and Los Angeles. A global online screening and panel discussion with women activists will accompany the release. 

Women’s Leadership Network Next Steps: WLN will continue to leverage the power of collaboration among women from diverse backgrounds in the coming months, including Palestinians from the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), Palestinian citizens of Israel (PCI), and Jewish Israelis. Through hybrid meetings, capacity-building workshops, mentorship, and international advocacy, WLN will foster continuous dialogue and knowledge exchange, ensuring that women’s perspectives are integrated into the broader peace process and central to conflict resolution and political solutions in the region. Over the next 15 months, WLN will train these women, facilitating collaboration and the exchange of best practices from global peacebuilding experiences. Despite ongoing regional challenges, ALLMEP remains committed to advancing gender-inclusive peace efforts and amplifying the voices of women peacebuilders. To learn more about the WLN program or the upcoming film screening, please visit our website or contact ALLMEP’s Regional Director, Nivine Sandouka, in East Jerusalem (nivine@allmep.org).

Links:

• ALLMEP Hosts Launch of New Program: Women's Leadership Network