Simone Susskind

On 11 July, after meeting in Ramallah, the IWC with its President, Ines Alberdi and the Deputy-Director of UNFPA, Mari Simonen, visited the evicted Palestinian families of Sheikh Jarrah, expressing their solidarity.

One of the Houses of the evicted Palestinian families which is now occupied by settlers

Hereunder the press release of the IWC:

The International Women’s Commission returns to Sheikh Jarrah on the occasion of UNIFEM Executive Director/Chair of IWC Ines Alberdi and UNFPA Deputy Director Mari Simonen’s mission to oPt

11 July 2010

East Jerusalem – On the 10^th Anniversary of United Nations Security Council 1325 on women, peace and security, members of the International Women’s Commission (IWC) bringing together Palestinian, Israeli and international women leaders return to the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah to show solidarity with the women of the evicted Palestinian families, to insist on their return and to send a strong message of support to the courageous women leaders within Israeli and Palestinian civil society who, at great personal risk, have joined the growing movement of nonviolent resistance to the occupation.

At a moment when the resumption of direct talks depends on local support and confidence, IWC members urge the international community to hold Israel accountable for its obligations under international law and immediately halt illegal Israeli settlement activity throughout the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) including East Jerusalem. The IWC condemns the pattern of forced evictions, house demolitions and confiscation of identity cards threatening the presence and well-being of the Palestinian population and suggesting a systematic process to irreversibly transform the geopolitics of Jerusalem.

The IWC urgently appeals to the international community to join the voices of women leaders in civil society who demand adherence to international law and support the vitality of the Palestinian people in East Jerusalem. The possibility of direct talks leading to an end of the occupation, sustainable peace, and a two-state solution with two capitals for two states in Jerusalem require an inclusive process incorporating civil society and depends on immediate action to improve conditions on the ground in East Jerusalem and throughout the oPt.

Note: The International Women’s Commission for a Just and Sustainable Palestinian-Israeli Peace (IWC) was formed in 2005 under the auspices of UNIFEM in an effort to strengthen implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and to bring an end to the Israeli occupation and a peaceful two state solution on 4 June 1967 border