TY - JOUR
T1 - Internal variation in norm localization
T2 - Implementing Security Council Resolution 1325 in Israel
AU - Aharoni, Sarai B.
N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by a grant from the Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Funding Information: The campaign, which lasted for 4 years, sought to broaden and change public discourses concerning sexual assault by “promoting real social change, raising awareness among varied populations and positioning the feminist turf as a catalyst for change in the public sphere” (Abramovitch 2008, 64). Indeed, vigils, protests, petitions to the Supreme Court and countless press releases fueled a large public debate. A spontaneous demonstration held in Tel-Aviv on June 2007 mobilized the largest number of women demonstrators in a decade, with approximately twenty thousand participants. Interestingly, despite the fact that the allegations which sparked the campaign were not directly connected in any way to conflict-related politics, the ad hoc coalition was sponsored by the CWP as part of the “Security for Whom?” project, a 2-year project predominantly funded by EU civil society partnerships SCR 1325 component.
PY - 2014/1/1
Y1 - 2014/1/1
N2 - The article explores the localization process of Security Council Resolution (SCR) 1325 (Women, Peace and Security) in Israel after the Second Intifada. An analysis of four forms of interpretation developed in 2000-2010 by local and international actors: protest, political dialog, legal reforms, and transformative actions, reveals a selective localization pattern that goes far beyond conflict-related women's rights. This variation was linked to the nature of interactions between civil society organizations and governmental agencies and could be explained by two national-level factors: (i) despite the escalation of political violence the State of Israel continued to develop national machineries promoting gender equality for women citizens, a process that minimized state dependency on international mechanisms; (ii) by using the universal language of SCR 1325 to construct, redefine, and reinforce domestic identities and interests, governmental agencies and women's groups were in fact seeking new forms of political legitimacy. I argue that the normative language of SCR 1325 proved to be especially beneficial on the civil society level, enabling women's organizations to survive the generally unfavorable domestic opportunity structure during the Second Intifada. However, traditional state-centered policies and perceptions of women's political participation remain a determining factor in explaining their effectiveness and success.
AB - The article explores the localization process of Security Council Resolution (SCR) 1325 (Women, Peace and Security) in Israel after the Second Intifada. An analysis of four forms of interpretation developed in 2000-2010 by local and international actors: protest, political dialog, legal reforms, and transformative actions, reveals a selective localization pattern that goes far beyond conflict-related women's rights. This variation was linked to the nature of interactions between civil society organizations and governmental agencies and could be explained by two national-level factors: (i) despite the escalation of political violence the State of Israel continued to develop national machineries promoting gender equality for women citizens, a process that minimized state dependency on international mechanisms; (ii) by using the universal language of SCR 1325 to construct, redefine, and reinforce domestic identities and interests, governmental agencies and women's groups were in fact seeking new forms of political legitimacy. I argue that the normative language of SCR 1325 proved to be especially beneficial on the civil society level, enabling women's organizations to survive the generally unfavorable domestic opportunity structure during the Second Intifada. However, traditional state-centered policies and perceptions of women's political participation remain a determining factor in explaining their effectiveness and success.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84896904731&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxu003
DO - https://doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxu003
M3 - Article
SN - 1072-4745
VL - 21
SP - 1
EP - 25
JO - Social Politics
JF - Social Politics
IS - 1
ER -
