Abstract

Since the formation of the State of Israel in 1948, the Jewish nation has been plagued by wars and conflict. Recently, Israel has engaged in a series of conflicts with Lebanon, with the First Lebanon War occurring in 1982. Following three years of armed conflict, Israel pulled back into a self-proclaimed “security zone”, prolonging the occupation of Lebanon until 2000 when Prime Minister Ehud Barak made the decision to unilaterally withdraw Israeli troops back within the international borders of Israel. This paper analyzes the goals and strategy of a protest group that was founded in response to the drawn out occupation of Lebanon. The Four Mothers Movement: Leaving Lebanon in Peace was formed by mothers of deployed soldiers with the single goal of unilateral withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from Lebanon. The protest group was disbanded not long after its formation because it had achieved its goal due to the purposeful strategizing of its leaders, the immediate time frame of the Lebanon occupation, and the singular, measurable, concrete nature of its objective. This paper explores what factors allow a group to achieve its aims in a few short years as opposed to a multigenerational struggle for success. In contrast to the Four Mothers Movement, The Parents Circle-Families Forum, an organization in Israel that was also established by parents in 1995, has not yet achieved its goals of creating a framework of reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians and fostering understanding with dialogue as opposed to violence to bring about an agreement. My paper will examine why The Four Mothers Movement succeeded and raise questions as to the likelihood of the Parents Circle-FamiliesForum attaining the changes it seeks to enact within the Israeli and Palestinian communities.

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