Women Peace Activists Demand An End To Attacks In Gaza And Israel

 

MADRE, an international women’s human rights organization, condemns the growing violence that has killed at least 18 people in the past days: 15 in Gaza and three in Israel, reported ENews Park Forest Nov. 16. MADRE's Executive Director Yifat Susskind said, “By assassinating a man who has played a central role in past ceasefire negotiations, Israel’s leaders are further foreclosing the possibility of peace. That, in fact, is the essence of Netanyahu’s election strategy. And families in Gaza are paying with their lives for his political manipulations. The Palestinian and Israeli women we work with are committed to breaking the cycle of violence and ending Israel’s occupation and siege of Gaza.”

 

 

Dozen House Women Defend Rice Over Libya Comments

 

Republican senators' angry criticism of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice over her initial account of the deadly Sept. 11 attack in Libya smacks of sexism and racism, a dozen female members of the House said Fri., The Associated Press reported Nov.16. For weeks, the criticism of Rice has focused on her comments about the Libya attack. The lawmakers' contention that the ambassador's race and sex are factors come just over a week after an election when women and minorities heavily favored Obama and Democrats. 

 

 

Women Struggle to Be Heard In Sierra Leone's General Election 

 

Kadi Sesay could become Sierra Leone's first female vice-president, allAfrica reported Nov. 16. Sesay has been the first woman to fill a number of high-profile positions in Sierra Leone. Such a win would arrive at the end of a tumultuous year for women's rights in Sierra Leone. On Sept. 25, time ran out on efforts to pass legislation that would have required 30% of candidates for the 2012 election to be female. The quota for women's participation in government was shelved for a future sitting.

 

 

Letters Of Support In Custody Battle From Allen and Petraeus 

In the latest twist of the David Petraeus sex scandal, court records show the former CIA director and Gen. John Allen intervened last Sept. in a messy custody dispute on behalf of Jill Kelley's sister, whom a judge described as dishonest and lacking integrity, The Huffington Post reported Nov. 13.

Kelley is the woman who received harassing emails from Petraeus' biographer and paramour, according to U.S officials. The new court files are significant because they provide of a fuller picture of the twins' connections to Petraeus and Allen, two powerful figures ensnared in the scandal. It also raises questions why two decorated generals would vouch for Kelley's twin sister, Natalie Khawam, who had piles of legal troubles in recent years.