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Israel and Palestine Come Together at UN Special Session on Children’s Rights

New York, NY

Two young women, one Palestinian and one Israeli, will discuss their experiences of war and support of peace at meetings during the UN Special Session on Children, May 8 to May 10.

Bushra Jawabri, Palestinian, 20, and Julia Resnitsky, Israeli, 16, will attend several UN panels on peace building to discuss Palestinian and Israeli youth perspectives on various issues tied to the Mideast conflict.

"As policy-makers and heads of state from around the world will be at the UN Special Session on Children, this is a wonderful chance for adolescents to show how much they can and are contributing to peace building," said Allison Anderson Pillsbury, Project Manager of the Children and Adolescents Project for the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children.

Ms. Jawabri and Ms. Resnitsky are among four recipients of this year’s Women’s Commission’s Voices of Courage Awards, which recognizes their commitment to peace and work in youth group capacity building. The luncheon will take place on May 15.

"Each young woman is working with adolescent groups to end violence through conflict resolution training," said Ms. Pillsbury. "They are doing courageous work in the face of great adversity."

More information:

Bushra Jawabri

At age 13, Bushra Jawabri began representing schools in Arroub refugee camp where she grew up in meetings with Israelis, presenting the Palestinian perspective on various issues of the conflict. When she was 17, she was an official representative to the Anti-Racism Conference in Rome, Italy, chosen to represent the issue of refugees. Bushra has been involved in Seeds of Peace, an international organization that helps teenagers from conflict regions learn peace-making skills, since she was 13. In 1998 she joined 100 Arab and Israeli youth who drafted a final Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty that was presented to the UN Secretary-General. In November 2001 Bushra was part of the official Palestinian delegation at the New York City International Youth Conference on uprooting the causes of hatred and terror, that was organized in response to the attacks of September 11. Bushra, now 20, is attending Manhattanville College in New York on full scholarship. The Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children is honoring Bushra Jawabri for her steadfast commitment to peace in the face of pervasive tensions and hostilities.

Julia Resnitsky

Julia Resnitsky left Russia at age seven when her family moved as refugees to Jerusalem. Now 16

and in her second year of high school, Julia organizes nonviolent conflict resolution workshops for junior high students. Israel's Ministry of Education selected Julia, out of more than 1,000 candidates, as one of the 40 delegates to the Seeds of Peace conference in summer 2000, and again in 2001 as a “peer support.” Her leadership in peace issues is challenged by her community, friends and family, who do not support her beliefs, yet she continues to volunteer with disadvantaged Palestinian and Israeli youth and mentor friends to work towards peaceful co-existence regardless of the obstacles they face. She has pioneered a Community Service Team in which Arab and Jewish Seeds volunteer together at the Friendship’s Way center for underprivileged youth in Jaffa and organized “Bring-a-Friend” meetings in which Arab and Jewish Seeds invite schoolmates to meet “the other side.” The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children is honoring Julia Resnitsky for her commitment to peace despite the difficult times in which she lives.

Experts available for comment:
Mary Diaz, Executive Director of the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children

Allison Anderson Pillsbury, Project Manager for the Children and Adolescents Project, 212-551-3107

To facilitate interviews or for more information please contact Diana Quick at 212-551-3087 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children works to ensure that refugee and displaced women, children and adolescents are given protection, encouraged to participate, and have access to education, health services and livelihood opportunities. Through a vigorous and comprehensive program of advocacy, supported by extensive research and technical expertise, the Women's Commission serves as an expert resource and works with governments, United Nations agencies, international and local nongovernmental organizations and donors to improve the lives of displaced women and children. The Women's Commission was founded in 1989 under the auspices of the International Rescue Committee.