Daughter of Jerusalem

[Ulhas Joglekar]

2 December 1999
Interview
Daughter of Jerusalem
In Israel's male-dominated political establishment, women find it very hard
to break the glass ceiling. Naomi Chazanmakes light of her spectacular
political career, modestly claiming that things came easily to her. But the
professor of political science has proved her mettle holding high-profile
posts in the last Knesset where she variously overlooked foreign affairs,
defence, economic affairs and women rights in a number of committees. In the
present parliament, apart from heading various committees, she is deputy
speaker as well. She feels that her greatest achievement has been her role
as founder of the Israeli Women's Network. She spoke to Lalita Panicker,
while on a recent visit to India, of the peace process and the difference
that women can make to a country's politics.
In what way is the Ehud Barak government's functioning different from that
of the previous one of Binyamin Netanyahu?
I was a strong opponent of the last government, indeed my party has always
opposed it. But is is unquestionably a refreshing feeling to wake up in the
morning and know that Netanyahu is no longer there. But the Barak government
is not problem-free. There are 15 parties which have been elected to a
Knesset of 120. So you can imagine how difficult it is to maintain
coalitional discipline. I am more a dove than Barak but on the peace
process, he has delivered quite a few good surprises. Unlike Netanyahu who
would sign agreements and then do nothing, Barak is committed to peace and
implements agreements. His government has inherited a difficult domestic
situation, there are economic problems, secular-religious tensions and so
on.
There were high hopes that the peace process would really get going under Mr
Barak. Where is it at now, in your opinion?
Well, the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement had three phases -- release of
prisoners, safe passage and troop withdrawal from some areas. All these have
been implemented. The next phase will now begin -- a second redeployment of
troops which will lead to last phase. Here Oslo is complete. Then begins the
task of dealing with the difficult issues like settlements, refugees,
boundaries, water and Jerusalem. A Palestinian state is obviously going to
come about and it is desirable that this happens. It is essential for
Israel's interests. Safe passage should have been implemented four years
ago. We must remember that human beings are involved, family members who
have not seen each other for years. This breeds resentment, anger. Opening
the passage created a different mood, it is worth its weight in gold in
terms of security.
Is Yasser Arafat considered by most Israelis as the man you can do business
with even now?
Absolutely. He is not a warm person like King Hussein of Jordan was, he is
no Nelson Mandela, but let us face it, he is an extraordinarily skilful
negotiator. We are concerned about his health because we want to complete
this process with him.
Do you feel that this reciprocity clause which Mr Netanyahu insisted on
slowed down progress since the Palestinians had nothing much to give?
I do not disagree with the reciprocity principle but not the way Netanyahu
used it. He had no intention of pursuing the Oslo process to its logical
conclusion. He was looking for some excuse to stall it and the manner in
which reciprocity was used was completely distasteful.
The region's leaders like President Assad of Syria, President Mubarak of
Egypt and Mr Arafat are aging. Do you not feel that time is running out in
concluding the peace process?
I completely agree with this. At best, I feel we have another year with
Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. Their leaders are aging and ailing. Israel
would go to the negotiating table tomorrow if the Syrians agreed. It is
obvious that we will pull back from the Golan though the boundaries need to
be worked out. But perhaps the succession issue has not been resolved in
Syria and so Assad is hesitating. I feel we should come to a deal with Assad
and not wait for a new leader. We will withdraw from Lebanon without an
agreement, maybe by this summer, because public pressure is building.
Another reason we should hurry is the US elections, who knows how long it
will take to educate a new American president on the complexities of the
region.
You have been a pioneer in the women's movement. How difficult is it for
women to function in politics and other fields in Israel?
If more women were to enter politics, women's issues would be better dealt
with, men will not do this. Too many important decisions on peace, security,
foreign affairs, defence, economy etc have been made by men. Women's
participation in politics can only strengthen democracy, you cannot exclude
50 per cent of the population.
What was your experience, was it difficult to reach where you are now?
To enter was easy, to remain was not. I find I am scrutinised not just for
my performance but for my dress, hair etc. Sometimes, people even listen to
what I have to say. If you deal with male issues like foreign affairs, you
have to prove you are better than men. We have two peculiar problems, one is
the compulsory draft service. The army is a discriminating institution,
women were allowed into combat only recently thanks to my legislation. The
military is a key to social stability, those who rise in the army spill over
into politics. These are invariably men. The other is that all personal laws
are in the hands of religious organisations, none of them gender equal.
Religious parties don't include women at all. The struggle for secularism in
Israel is really a feminist struggle.
Do you favour reservation as a method of getting more women into politics?
Yes, it is a necessary interim measure. I led the struggle in my party for
reservation. Meretz has a 40 per cent gender clause at the municipal and
national level. Out of its 10 parliamentary seats, Meretz has four women.
Now that giving women seats has proved electorally profitable for Meretz,
others are following suit.
Let us go back to a contentious issue between Israel and its neighbours,
that of water. How serious is this?
Suha Arafat recently made some remarks about Israel contaminating water
sources in Palestinian areas. I found those offensive. I have spent 20 years
seeking a dialogue with the Palestinians and her remarks don't help anyone.
I agree there is no equality in the use of water. It is not so important to
figure out who controls the water as how to manage it. The Palestinians are
on the wrong side of the watershed. We are now trying to make desalination
economically viable. There are also proposals to import water.
So on the whole, you are painting a positive picture for the region.
Yes, there are potholes ahead, but we have to look on the bright side of
things. We really have no alternative.
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Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. 1999.