Draft:Forum Dvorah

Forum Dvorah - Women in Foreign Policy and National Security is an Israeli a non-partisan, non-profit organization aimed at promoting equal representation for women in decision-making centers within the Israeli security-political establishment and public discourse. This organization is based on the belief that such representation contributes to Israel's national security and the development of future leadership in national security and foreign policy.

Name

The organization is named after Deborah the biblical prophetess, who was a leader, judge, counselor, warrior and poet.

Goals and activities

Forum Dvorah serves as a central platform for leading Israeli women to work towards a more egalitarian and inclusive society from a gender perspective. The organization comprises approximately 200 experienced women and 100 younger members (Deborah 2.0 Forum).  It brings together hundreds of years of experience and expertise in the fields of security, foreign policy, gender, international and constitutional law, public policy, sustainability, energy, climate, etc. The members of the forum come from a variety of opinions and backgrounds without political or party affiliation, where the common denominator is the occupation in the security and political field.

The forum's primary focus areas include:

• Promoting women in national-level decision-making, particularly in security and politics.
• Integrating women into the country's security discourse.
• Ensuring equal participation of women in the security establishment.
• Supporting young women in the security-political system and providing support, with knowledge and experience, to women who are already working in this system.

Methodologies and achievements

The Forum employs various strategies, such as forming networks, conducting workshops and training, and engaging in official discussions. Notable contributions include participating in advisory committees to the National Security Council and influencing discussions in the Knesset on various security and foreign affairs topics as well as media appearances in the areas of the forum and activity to increase the forum's pool of expertise and spokespeople.

for example:

• Forum Dvorah members were partners in the official advisory committee to the National Security council (NSC) on the subject of assimilating gender thinking when making national decisions in emergency situations. The report was submitted to the head of the NSC and the recommendations included in it were approved as a government decision (Resolution 1845).

• Participation in the discussion in the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee on the diplomatic and humanitarian activities of the various government ministries regarding the crisis in Ukraine following the war with Russia.
• Participating in the discussion on the subject of a "warm house" for combat soldiers dealing with PTSD  in the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee of the Knesset.
• Participation in the event "Women at the Table: Advancing Women in the Public Sector Trends, Barriers and Torments", which was held in the Knesset, chaired by MK Nira Shafak.
• Participation in meetings of the Knesset committees to present a professional position on the integration of women in the fields of security and foreign affairs .

• Formulating position papers on national security and foreign policy issues and passing them on to the decision makers. Among other things, submission of a position paper for the discussion held in the committee in the Knesset on the case of the Gilboa prison guard and in the special committee on the subject which was established by the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Internal Security.

• Accompanying and ongoing involvement in the integration of women fighters in the IDF, including a fight for the full opening of combat positions for women according to the requirement of the law of equal opportunities, accompanying the struggle of the Israel Defense Forces to separate into the special units, including the submission of the petition to the supreme Court (the Combatants supreme court petition), meetings with IDF officials to enable the integration of women in a wide variety of positions, and providing a public and media response to the letters of the various rabbis calling for the prevention of combat service for women in the IDF .

• Advancing the goals of the forum through collaborations with official bodies in Israel, with other women's organizations working for gender equality, with civil society organizations in Israel and abroad, with the foreign diplomatic staff in Israel and with relevant bodies abroad. For example, since 2019 members of the Deborah Forum have participated as Israel's representatives in the Civil Society Advisory Committee to NATO on Women, Peace and Security (CSAP).[4] The person who represented the Deborah Forum and participated in the discussions since Israel joined the committee is Col. (resp.) Adv. Pnina Sharvit Baruch."

Position holders

During the years of activity of Forum Dvorah Forum, the following chairpersons served: MK (former) Etti Livni, Col. (resp.) Adv. Pnina Sharvit Baruch, Col. (resp.) Ronit Levavi, Brigadier General Sharon Nir and Col. (resp.) Maya Heller.

First female managers and later female CEOs worked alongside the chairpersons.

• The managers were: Shira Efron and Michal Hatuel.
• Former CEO: Tania Moreks
• Current CEO: Ofra Ash.

Background and establishment

UN Security Council Resolution 1325

The organization was established following the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on October 31, 2000. This resolution underscored the UN Security Council's commitment to protecting women and ensuring their representation in peace processes and international politics. It emphasized the importance of policy makers and international law acknowledging the experiences of women and girls in combat zones and violent conflicts from a gender perspective, recognizing the unique impact these situations have on them.

Inclusive Security's Influence

The American institute Inclusive Security, founded by Swanee Hunt, was among the first organizations dedicated to promoting the inclusion of women from conflict zones in national security decision-making and peace negotiation processes, in line with Resolution 1325. Swanee Hunt fostered relationships with Israeli women, including Orit Adatu, Israela Oron, and Eti Livni, and Palestinian women such as Niama Erekat, Saeb Erekat's wife, to promote dialogue. These women were part of meetings in the United States, attended by women from conflict zones globally.

Israeli Law Incorporation

Israel became the first country to incorporate principles from Resolution 1325 into national law. Key figures in this process were Prof. Yuli Tamir and Eti Livni, who chaired the Knesset's Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women, and Dr. Shlomit Aharoni Lir, who highlighted the importance of representing women from various population groups. In 2005, Amendment No. 4 to the Law on the Equal Rights of Women was passed, mandating adequate representation of women in government-appointed bodies, although in practice, achieving equality in senior defense and foreign affairs positions remained a challenge.

Continued Development and Independence

The collaboration between the American Institute and a group of about a dozen Israeli activities continued for several years, and the group even received financial support from the American Institute that enabled the hiring of a coordinator of the activity. However, after several years of support, a joint decision was made to separate the organizations due to the reluctance of Israeli women to be identified with political activity.

In 2015, the Israeli group decided to continue its activities in promoting women and integrating them into senior positions in the defense system and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to ensure adequate representation of women in the state committees established to investigate events or to formulate policies.

During this period, more than twenty women were already active within the Israeli group, among them: Retired Brigadier General Rav Gonder Orit Adato, Dr. Shlomit Aharoni Lir, Brigadier General (resp.) Israela Oron, Col. (resp.) Miri Ezin, Adv. Dr. Tzipi Iser-Itzik, Halit Barel, Adv. Tom Gal, Dr. Ofra Greitzer, Adv. Dvorah Husen Kuriel, Dr. Michal Hatuel Radushinsky, Dr. Zipi Israeli,  Brigadier General (resp.) Gila Khalifi-Amir, Col. (resp.) Ronit Levavi-Mored, former MK Adv. Etti Livni, Orna Mizrahi, Dr. Mittal Iran-Yona, Gail Shorsh, Sima Shain, MK Nira Shafak and Col. (resp.) Adv. Pnina Sharvit Baruch.

The "Forum Dvorah award"

The Forum Dvorah organization awards the "Forum Deborah award" to leading and influential women whose activities fulfill or advance the goals of the organization. Since 2021, a call has been published calling on the public to submit nominations for the award in four categories:

• The Forum Dvorah award for lifetime achievement is awarded to a candidate who is a pioneer in her field, who has also worked over the years to promote and integrate many women and paved the way for others.
• Forum Dvorah award in the field of national security.
• Forum Dvorah award in the field of foreign policy.
• Forum Dvorah award for the leader of the future generation - an innovator and leader in the fields of national security and foreign policy.

The women who received the award are:

2017

• - Inbal Kreiss: Innovation Manager at the Missile and Space Systems Division of Israel Aerospace Industries and former Deputy Director of the Space Plant and head of the "Chetz 3" anti-missile missile development project at Israel Aerospace Industries' Melam plant. Recognized for her contributions to missile and space systems development and paving the way for women to senior management positions in the defense industry.

2018

• - Dina Zilber: Former Deputy Attorney General, awarded for her efforts in advocating for women's representation.

2020

• - The award was not presented due to the coronavirus pandemic.

2021

• - R.: Former senior official at the Mossad, received the Forum Deborah award for Life Initiative for her contribution to the 'Aliyah' of Ethiopian Jews.
• - Superintendent Sigal Bar Zvi: received the award for National Security for being the first woman to head the Operations Division of the Israel Police.
• - Merav Ilon Shahar: Received the award for Foreign Policy for her role as Israel's ambassador to the UN institutions in Geneva since August 2020.
• - Tal Levy Diamenstein: Honored with a special award for the Corona period for establishing and leading the group of reserve services.
• 2022

• Limor Livnat: Granted the award for lifetime achievement, recognized for her dedication to the advancement of women, combating discrimination against women, and promoting gender and social justice.

• - Michal Yaniv, Efrat Minivitsky, attorney Gil Avriel, and Marev Lemberger: Awarded the National Security award. These NSC team members led to the establishment of a committee and authored a report with significant conclusions on legislating adequate representation of women in national decision-making centers.
• - Joanna Landau: Received the award for foreign policies, acknowledged for her entrepreneurial work for the State of Israel, her efforts to change global discourse about Israel, and her leadership in promoting women.
• - Major Neta Blum: Honored with the award for Future Leadership. As the head of the Cyber Section in the Directorate for Research and Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructures at the Ministry of Defense, she leads the development of the next-generation air array in the field of UAVs and drones. Additionally, she established the "AT" project, aimed at promoting female high school students for technological leadership.