Israel

New studies in brain science reveal how women’s leadership can push conflicts, whether personal or political, from violent to diplomatic resolution.
In “The Better Angels of Our Nature,” Harvard professor and cognitive scientist Steven Pinker compiles research about the human brain and historical trends. Data points to a biological difference between individuals inclined towards violent or nonviolent solutions. The defining factor is gender.

Speaking at the Stand With Us International Women’s Conference in Jerusalem, Shalev described serving as a woman in the male dominated United Nations. She said that whenever she was called into the UN Security Council to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, she was surrounded by men in black suits with grim looks on their faces. It was an uncomfortable feeling for her, yet these experiences inspired her to become even more Zionist and feminist.

It seems if you talk to anyone for more than 10 minutes in this country, the conversation inevitably turns toward politics. Everyone has their own opinions – which party they voted for, how long they think the coalition will last, if Liberman/Olmert/Katsav are really guilty and if ministers deserve those fancy cars and bodyguards.

Israel is usually described as a Western democracy. But there are many areas where Israel cannot pride itself on having obtained such positives stats. The representation of women in positions of power is one area, where Israel’s democracy still lags noticeably behind the other democracies of the West.

(We inviote our users to read the full article published March 8 2013 by Al- Monitor)

Rachel Dolev, former director of the censorship office of the Israeli military, wrote about the failure to implement Resolution 1325 in August in an article for the Israeli news source Yedioth Ahronoth (also known as Ynet). Part of the reason, she wrote, may be the "groundless assumption that only those who served in senior roles in the defense establishment – all of them men – have any understanding in security matters."