Top table at the discussion and (below) some of those who attended

What is 1325? It’s got nothing to do with climate change, or the little Ice Age. That’s when people were encouraged by Frederick the Great of Prussia to cultivate potatoes despite the suspicion of the peasants that they were poisonous and caused leprosy. No – 1325 is an acronym for the UN Security Council Resolution dealing with the empowerment of women, their protection in areas of conflict, and the need to engage them in peace making. The driving force behind 1325 was the Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN from 1996-2007, Anwarul K. Chowdhury, who spearheaded the UN General Assembly initiative “International Decade for Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World (2001-2010)”. Recently, the American Colony Hotel Bookshop organized a panel discussion to mark the 10th anniversary of 1325 and the publication of the latest edition of the Palestine-Israel Journal of Politics, Economics and Culture dedicated to the topic of Women and Power. An amazing Q&A session followed remarks by the members of the panel, driven in particular by young women from the audience. A central topic was whether women’s issues can be divorced from the daily hardships of living under occupation. We heard encouraging statistics regarding the rising percentages of Palestinian women at all levels of education. However, many of them are prevented from utilizing their skills in the current local job market in the Palestinian territories. The panel comprised women from both West and East including:

■Ambassador Hind Khoury a former Palestinian Minister for Jerusalem affairs.

■Galia Golan, Professor emeritus of the Hebrew University and member of the International Women’s commission for Peace in the ME.

■Lucy Nousseibeh, Founder-director of Middle East Nonviolence and Democracy and Director of the Institute for Modern media at Al Quds University.

 ■Sonia Najjar, International consultant and development expert.

■Dahlia Scheindlin, International public opinion analyst and doctoral candidate at Tel Aviv University.

The Palestinian-Israel Journal can be ordered from their website: www.pij.org If you wish to obtain further notices of meetings, please email: dina.raveh@gmail.com

Here’s what the United Nations Security Council resolution says: 

EXPRESSING concern that civilians, particularly women and children, account for the vast majority of those adversely affected by armed conflict, including as refugees and internally displaced persons, and increasingly are targeted by combatants and armed elements and recognizing the consequent impact this has on durable peace and reconciliation. REAFFIRMING the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace-building and stressing the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security, and the need to increase their role in decision-making with regard to conflict prevention and resolution...