NEWS

Introducing the WILPF CCS Committee: Connecting Us and Moving into Visibility

Post date: Fri, 03/01/2024 - 12:03

March 2024

How many balls can one seal juggle over its head? Don’t we all feel like this at times? Our new committee is committed! Our WILPF Communications/Culture & the Arts/Sensitization Committee (CCS) is committed to helping us connect with each other so that we know about all of our contributions and make use of those creative gifts we all have. We also need to connect across generations. Shilpa Pandey of our membership and Development Committee said that we need to be our own time machine and link arms with the future and younger people.

Every WILPF activity might have some new push if we keep in mind: (Each one of these points could have its own article!)

Are we connected with major media?
What contacts do our members have?
Can we brainstorm contacts in the media?
How does this activity attract younger people?
Are we being creative enough?
Do we value creativity here at WILPF?

Communications is where many actions of WILPF could use more wind in their sails. By keeping in touch with people in the media we already know at each branch level, we establish a valuable tool for media access outside the usual peace activist internal communications. Internal communications are important to make us aware of what others are doing within WILPF and co-sponsoring organizations. We also need to look outward and make WILPF visible to those who haven’t yet been introduced to us.

We can use more mainstream corporate media to help support our points. We need to quote a variety of news and commentary sources. If we quote mostly our own peace organizational newsletters, YouTube, Zoom guests and other easily politically pigeonholed media, then those who feel non-partisan may stop listening. There are “insider” Beltway magazines and journals, such as Foreign Policy magazine, that make similar points as WILPF. This will get us “heard” by a new segment of the reading and viewing public.

Our CCS committee can help here, too. We can look for corporate media articles and events that make our points without having to rely on what may be considered highly partisan media sources. The public who have not thought about, say nuclear disarmament, will be impressed if a corporate media article also says what our other sources say about the dangers of nuclear weapons. Consider this August 12, 2023 piece in Forbes: Hideko Tamura, Hiroshima Survivor: “That’s When I Lost My Childhood” by Jim Clash.

Hideko Tamura, our media savvy WILPF member who was a child survivor of the Hiroshima blast was interviewed by Forbes, the Wall Street financial publication. Citing that interview in our flyers could take our case against nuclear weapons stockpiling out of the peace activist publications and into a whole different readership. People who read Forbes mainly for its news coverage may find that they are not convinced of the “wisdom” of nuclear stockpiles. If an article in Forbes or its like mentions WILPF, this may prompt the reader to inquire further.

Also note that the author Jim Clash is not a reporter of activist issues. His specialties are listed as “extreme adventure and classic rock”. Should we write him off as some “insider” uninterested in our work at WILPF? How many people read this interview in Forbes? How many Forbes readers do not read our internal peace communications? Did anybody from WILPF thank this reporter or ask if he would like updates in Hideko? These are questions may be discussed in our CCS Committee.

Why? Because we are creative! Creative people can find creative solutions to how we work. When asked to associate two common things, creative people tend to pick a less common answer, such as, for salt and ____, they might say “ocean” rather than “pepper”. Rhetorical question: “How do new ideas come into an organization like WILPF? Through its creatives – those people who see imagery, who make music and sing, who write poetry and prose, who perform on the streets and on TV and radio (don’t write any of these off.)

Our scope in WILPF US’s CCS Committee is to:
(C) Access to and use of major communications media, help with rhetoric;
(C) Valuing and workshopping ideas in culture and the arts, and
(S) Sensitization to matters of difference, especially awareness of our youth audience.

If you are curious for more information, contact Glo McMillan at scifi200111@gmail.com

Post date: Wed, 01/31/2024 - 15:18

Khalida Jarrar. Photo via social media.

By Leni Villagomez Reeves

In Gaza, statistics are important. We can know the official count of the dead, but also realize that this represents only those who have been identified and that many more bodies remain – dead but unidentified and uncounted – under the bombed homes and hospitals, schools and refugee camps. We can know that most people in Gaza are displaced and hungry. The number of doctors killed, the number of reporters, the number of children injured and without medical care: these are important numbers. But numbers have no faces. However, it is possible to see ourselves in the life of Khalida Jarrar, a Palestinian woman, human rights and women’s rights activist and scholar, who has recently been arrested after writing a research paper titled "Violations against Female and Male Prisoners during the Genocidal War on Gaza," in which she detailed the violations and crimes committed against prisoners inside Israeli occupation prisons since October 7th.

Khalida was born in Nablus in the West Bank on February 9, 1963 and now lives in Ramallah. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Democracy and Human Rights from Birzeit University. She served as a Director of Addameer Prisoners’ Support and Human Rights Association from 1994 to 2006, when she was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) – the Palestinian parliament. She now heads the PLC’s Prisoners Commission, in addition to her role on the Palestinian National Committee for follow-up with the International Criminal Court.

Khalida has been arrested and imprisoned numerous times, first in 1989 on International Women’s Day when she spent a month in prison for taking part in the March 8 rally. After attending the Human Rights Defenders Summit in Paris in 1998, she was banned by Israeli authorities from traveling outside of the occupied Palestinian territories.

Her most recent arrest, on Dec 26, occupation forces broke down her door at 5AM, her husband, Ghassan Jarrar, told media outlets. It is not clear if it is the publication of the paper, published only a few days earlier, or her involvement in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a faction in the Palestine Liberation Organisation, that led to the arrest. The PFLP is considered a “terrorist” group by Israel, the US and the EU, according to media reports. "Khaleda Jarrar, a wanted terrorist, was arrested... along with other PFLP activists," the army said in a statement.

The PFLP, in a statement, added that Israel's army launched a "vast campaign” that morning to arrest “leaders” of the group in the occupied West Bank. "These arrests will not break the will of our people," it said.

History of Arrests Without Trials

In 2015, Khalida was seized in a pre-dawn raid by Israeli occupation soldiers, who stormed her house in Ramallah. Initially, she was held in administrative detention without trial but, following an international outcry, Israeli authorities tried Khalida Jarrar in a military court on 12 charges, based on her political activities. Some of the charges included giving speeches, holding vigils and expressing support for Palestinian detainees and their families. She spent 15 months in prison.

Khalida Jarrar was released in June 2016, only to be arrested again in July 2017, in a raid on her home by Israeli soldiers. She was again held under administrative detention. She was interrogated at Ofer Prison before being transferred to HaSharon Prison, where many Palestinian female prisoners are held. During this period of imprisonment she developed a literacy program for Palestinian women prisoners. She was released in February 2019, after spending nearly 20 months in prison.

She was re-arrested in Ramallah in October 2019 and held without trial or charge until March 2021, when she plea-bargained with the Israeli military court, “admitting” that she was a member of PFLP, in order to avoid indefinite detention. She was released in September 2021.

Khalida’s husband Ghassan, whom she met when they both were students, is also an activist. Ghassan has been arrested 14 times and has spent about 11 years in administrative detention in Israeli prisons, without charges. They had two daughters, Yafa, who has a law degree, and Suha, who had an MS in climate change science and policy. Suha died in 2021 of cardiac complications. Khalida, who was imprisoned at the time, was denied compassionate leave to attend the funeral.

In Her Own Words

“Hope in prison is like a flower that grows out of a stone. For us Palestinians, education is our greatest weapon. With it, we will always be victorious.” — Khalida Jarrar.

Khalida wrote about her prison literacy campaign, carried out during her own periods of imprisonment. She said she decided to “make it my mission” to focus on the issue of education for women who were denied the opportunity to finish school, whether as children or those who were denied such a right due to difficult social conditions.

“Just seeing the excitement on the faces of the girls when I floated the idea by them inspired me to take on the daunting task, the first such initiative in the history of Palestinian women prisoners in Israeli jails.

“We had few school supplies. In fact, each class had to share a single textbook that was left by Palestinian child prisoners before they were transferred by IPS to another facility. We copied the few textbooks by hand; this way, several students were able to follow the lessons at the same time.”

In another account she writes:

“In July 2017, the Israeli military arrested me again, this time for 20 months. I returned to the same HaSharon Prison. There were many more female prisoners than before. Immediately, with the help of other qualified prisoners, we began preparing for the fourth group to graduate. This time, nine female prisoners were studying for the exam. There were more volunteer teachers and administrators. The prison had suddenly bloomed, turning into a place of learning and empowerment.

“The prison administration went crazy! They accused me of incitement and began a series of retaliatory measures to shut down the whole schooling process. We accepted the challenge. When they closed our classroom, we went on strike. When they confiscated our pens and pencils, we used crayons instead. When they hauled away our blackboard, we unhooked a window and wrote on it. We smuggled it from one room to another, during the times that we had designated for learning. The prison guards tried every trick in the book to prevent us from our right to education. To show our determination to defeat the prison authorities, we named the fourth group ’The Cohort of Defiance’. In the end, our will proved mightier than their injustice. We completed the entire process. All the girls who took the final exam passed with flying colors.

“In the end, we did more than fashion hope out of despair. We also evolved in our narrative, in the way we perceive ourselves, the prison and the prison guards. We defeated any lingering sense of inferiority and turned the walls of prison into an opportunity. When I saw the beautiful smiles on the faces of my students who completed their high school education in prison, I felt that my mission has been accomplished.”

Khalida’s International Women’s Day statement, issued during one of her many periods of imprisonment reminds us that the struggle of women includes not only women in prison, but all struggling for freedom from oppression:

“On this day, we affirm that we are Palestinian prisoners of struggle, and part of the Palestinian women’s movement, and that the national and social struggle goes on constantly and continuously until we win our freedom from occupation, and our freedom as women from all forms of injustice, oppression, violence and discrimination against women. On this day, Palestinian women mark this occasion in light of the crimes of the occupation against Palestinian women, children, elders and youth. This year, our call focuses on the freedom and self-determination of our people, and the freedom and self-determination of Palestinian women: achieving equality and liberation, and ending all forms of oppression and injustice committed against them. We stand as part of a global struggle with all the world’s women freedom fighters: against injustice, exploitation and oppression.”

Announcements

Post date: Wed, 01/31/2024 - 12:29

February 2024

WILPF Congress Hotel Rooms — Start Looking Now for a Roommate!
by Darien De Lu

For our Triennial Congress, WILPF US is reserving a block of rooms at our St. Paul hotel — at a special Congress rate. The site in 2024 is at a hotel, in order to offer a more compact and accessible Congress events layout, with no long walks between lodgings, meals and various Congress features. However, this convenience comes at a cost. For your hotel stay to be more affordable, you may want to start looking around now for one or more roommates to share your hotel room and other costs.

The standard room for the Congress (unless you inquire about something different when you book your room with the hotel) will come with two queen-sized beds. You can cut your lodging costs in half by finding a roommate to share the room! If you have multiple good friends, save even more with up to three roommates.

We'll have more information when the Congress registration details come out. (Those will include a "DIY" roommate-search option — but why wait? WILPF members, start jingling your WILPF and friends networks now, to make more personalized choices!)

Watch for an eAlert in the second half of February for both registration details and key program plans, for our May 30-June 2 Congress!

Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Support ‘May Day for Money’
By the Women Money and Democracy Committee

Mayday for Money

The Alliance For Just Money, in partnership with the WILPF Women, Money & Democracy Committee has issued a distress call for our dreadful system of money, which is structurally incapable of serving our people and planet. Earth is warming and its species, oceans and ecosystems are dying. Our government and people are drowning in debt, wealth inequity is growing exponentially, wars are multiplying and we are told that there is simply not enough money to care for our people and planet!

Plan now to support “May Day for Money” from May 17-19. May 18th is the 110 year anniversary of the Federal Reserve and of Congress ceding the power to create money to banks. In 2024, we change the narrative of money back to a focus on people, and our planetary and societal needs. Join the movement for #JustMoney and come support the march on the Chicago Fed, teach ins, rallies and socials in Chicago. More details coming soon! Learn more at www.monetaryalliance.org/MayDay.

Even if you can’t come to Chicago yourself, you can help spread the word. There will be a social media and local activism toolkit available soon to help you bring this action to your own city and state at www.monetaryalliance.org/MayDay.

Plan ahead to support this action.

Protections for Bridges Not Walls — Chicago Immigrant Advocacy Then and Now
By Marybeth Gardam
Chicago Restart Team

Register now and reserve the date for WILPF’s flagship Chicago Branch’s second virtual organizing event on Saturday, Feb. 24th at 2PM CT.

How did Hull-House answer vicious racist and Nativist calls to throw out all immigrants in the early 20th Century? Professor Felice Batlan will explore the role of the Chicago Immigrants’ Protective League (IPL). Founded in 1908, the League was a grassroots social welfare organization in Chicago. Through its activism, its leaders became immigration law experts and disseminators of knowledge about immigration laws. It also provided free counsel to tens of thousands of poor migrants in a multitude of situations.

Crucially, the League’s legal practice was not court based but rather on the ground, where it provided advice to migrants and their families and represented migrants when dealing with the Bureau of Immigration.

Learn why Chicago has always been a leader in promoting and protecting human rights and how we can do this now!

The event is open to all, but please help spread the word to local immigration activists and anyone you know who lives in the Chicagoland area. Register now and reserve the date at http://tinyurl.com/BridgesNotWallsatWILPF

Save-the-Date for Congress Now!
Read about the latest plans for this year’s congress…

Save the date and plan now to come to our 35th Triennial Congress, Thursday, May 30 to Friday, June 2 at the InterContinental Hotel in St. Paul, Minnesota. The hotel is on the Mississippi River with a walkway to the river and a riverboat cruise is planned. We are working to keep registration affordable. Stay tuned for more details coming soon, later in February.

The Congress Planning Committee has confirmed some wonderful speakers (TBA). We have reached out to local and state organizations, such as the United Nations Association of Minnesota, environmental and peace groups, and experts who can work with us on issues surrounding our precious water, such as water contamination and health, the waste of water in nuclear energy plants, increasing water privatization, stopping oil and gas lines that threaten water sources, forward-thinking water policies, advocacy for peace and other topics.

We are reaching out to diverse communities in the Twin Cities and indigenous tribal groups to learn how state and city water policies have impacted their communities. And we will invite members of local organizations and groups to attend the Congress and we’ll provide space for tabling.

As feminist peacemakers, the urgency to end colonialism, conflicts, wars, and militarism is to bring about real system change. In the US, by moving from a war to a peace economy and from warheads to windmills, we can fund human needs and mobilize to ensure a sustainable planet for future generations based on principles of human rights, and water, climate, environmental and food justice for all.

Join us at the Congress and let’s take on this challenge together.

Congress Coordinator
Dee Murphy

Program Committee Members:
Lois Herman
Patricia Hynes
April Knutson
Eileen Kurkowski
Nancy Price
Jazmine Roberson
Tina Shelton
Dace Zeps

Post date: Wed, 01/31/2024 - 12:08

Left: Taken by a volunteer at the Lotus House Women’s Shelter. Image of WILPF members Mina Pisan and Amelia Kelly preparing and serving dinner at the Lotus House Women’s Shelter in Miami, Florida. Credit: WILPF Miami Mujeres Branch. Right: A mural at ProjectEsperanza’s elementary school in the Dominican Republic. Credit: Kerri Egozi.

By Eva Egozi

Empowering change from the heart of Florida to the corners of the Dominican Republic, Miami Mujeres stands as a beacon of action and passion in the pursuit of social justice for women within both local and global communities. As the newest chapter of WILPF, I am ecstatic to share some of the many initiatives we as an ever-growing community have been working on to promote the success and security of women around the world through informing students, engaging in community service, and advocating for social change to uplift women.

Journey Into Advocacy

My name is Eva Egozi, and as a junior in high school in South Florida, I am incredibly grateful to have utilized WILPF as a vector to foster my passions for fulfilling genuine equity and peace within my local community. The chapter itself, though founded less than one year ago, has flourished into a force of change for young women like me who are actively invigorated by a desire to help contribute to something bigger than ourselves. In fact, my passion to work with WILPF was first sparked by my participation in competitive speech and debate. My engagement in policy debate, a category that specializes in the in-depth analysis of policy issues that currently plague our world, as well as theories of power that contribute to them has garnered me with the knowledge of the way feminism operates within International Relations and the drive to learn more about my role in changing the narrative.

As I researched new opportunities within my community, I came across WILPF US and was fortunate enough to encounter Jan Corderman, an incredible woman who was incredibly enthusiastic about building off my passions and teaching me the real values of WILPF. Without Jan’s generous offerings and endless amounts of help and guidance, the Miami Mujeres branch would never have been capable of becoming what it is today.

After initiating the branch, I was quickly met with support from younger women within my community who were instantly inspired by the branch’s initiatives – they too had the fervor to develop something that could serve as a catalyst for change within the community and were eager to join the team. When asked about why she decided to join WILPF, Mina Pisan, one of our board members, told me, “I joined WILPF because I saw it as an opportunity to actively contribute to reshaping the narrative around women's rights. To be part of such an important organization, especially in high school, has truly been incredible.”

Global Initiatives and Local Engagement

As an active branch, we have recently made a collective effort to contribute to the community in any way possible. In fact, Miami Mujeres has found great success volunteering with local Domestic Violence shelters around Florida. Throughout the past year, we have made multiple trips to Lotus House Women’s Shelter in Miami bearing necessities for women and children such as canned food, toiletries, and toys. Additionally, we have spent hours preparing and cooking dinner for residents of the shelter, spending time with them one-on-one and grappling with the harsh truth of domestic violence in our community.

Members of the branch have additionally sought the value of bridging the gap between gender inequality and education disparities around the world. Because so many of our members are students, we have found that it is uniquely key to foster the future generations and help contribute to the betterment of our community. As a result, our collective efforts have reached beyond borders – over the holidays, members of Miami Mujeres contributed to a donation drive through purchasing essential school supplies, books and toys. Working with ProjectEsperanza, a non-profit organization with aims to aid the Haitian refugee population of the Dominican Republic, I was granted the opportunity to hand deliver such donations and learn about ProjectEsperanza’s initiatives first-hand.

While we were able to make a lasting impact on the Haitian refugee student population of the Dominican Republic, ProjectEsperanza continues to work tirelessly to ensure they are fostering an equitable educational system for all children. If you are looking to contribute to this initiative or simply learn more about Miami Mujeres’ initiatives, please feel free to reach out to evaegozi@icloud.com.

As we continue to build the WILPF community in Florida, we hope to gain more opportunities to spark material change in multiple venues. If you are interested in learning more, please do not hesitate to reach out to work with our welcoming branch!

Post date: Wed, 01/31/2024 - 11:46

By Genie Silver
Leadership Team, Middle East Peace and Justice Action Committee

February 2024

For those of us on the Middle East Peace and Justice Action Committee (MEPJAC) who have studied the history of the Palestinians and the Israelis, we’ve watched in horror as the current war between Israel and Hamas has unfolded. On Dec 29 of last year, South Africa (RSA) filed an application with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague (the UN’s principal judicial organ) to initiate a lawsuit against Israel for violating the Genocide Convention in relation to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

In order to help understand a bit more about what’s at stake, here is a bit of background about the conflict in Gaza and where we are today.

Current Conflict

As of Jan 26, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have killed more than 26,000 Gazans, according to the Gaza-based ministry of health. The UN has estimated this number includes more than 10,000 children and 7,500 women. In addition, on Jan. 8, the Gaza ministry of health reported there are at least 7,000 human beings missing in Gaza, presumed dead under the rubble. The agency also reported that more than 70% of homes in Gaza (300,000 out of 439,000) have been destroyed by the bombings. In a report that came out at the end of last year, the Wall Street Journal stated that by mid-December Israel had dropped 29,000 bombs on the Gaza Strip, which is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with over 2 million people in a space that equals 141 sq. miles. The bombing has killed doctors, engineers, professors, students, teachers, farmers, human rights lawyers, pregnant women, newborn babies, journalists, aid workers, ambulance drivers, artists, writers and musicians, no one has been spared.

Israel has destroyed or damaged beyond recognition and repair Gaza’s universities, schools, libraries, cultural centers, mosques, churches, shopping malls, health centers including 32 of Gaza’s 35 hospitals and all civilian infrastructure. Robert Pape, a University of Chicago professor of political science who’s an expert on aerial bombardment, told the Associated Press, “Gaza is one of the most intense civilian punishment campaigns in history. It now sits comfortably in the top quartile of the most devastating bombing campaigns ever.” Corey Scher of the CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University told AP, “Gaza is now a different color from space. It’s a different texture.” From bomb fragments found onsite and analyses off-strike footage, experts have concluded that the majority of bombs dropped by Israel are US made. Israel used internationally banned cluster and white phosphorus bombs and also dropped 2,000-pound “bunker-busters” that kill many hundreds of people at a time. Half of all the bombs they’re using are “dumb” bombs, non-targeted bombs that pose a greater threat to civilians.

How Did We Get Here?

The vast majority of the residents of the Gaza Strip are Palestinian survivors of the 1948 Nakba or their descendants. Nakba is the Arabic word for catastrophe, and it is what Palestinians call the creation of the state of Israel on the land they used to call home. Beginning at the end of 1947, Zionist armed forces began ethnically cleansing Palestinian villages and Palestinian neighborhoods in larger cities, like Jerusalem, Jaffa and Haifa. In all, 750,000 Palestinians were forced to flee to neighboring countries or Gaza. Plan Dalet (In Hebrew alphabet Dalet is the letter D), was hatched and put into effect by Zionist political and military leaders in March 1948, spelled out the methods of expulsion: intimidation, laying siege to and bombardment of villages, burning homes, possessions and goods, demolition and, finally, laying mines in what was left of the villages so Palestinians could not return to their homes.(Ilan Pappe. The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine. London: Oneworld Publications, 2006)

On Dec 11, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 194 that provided that Palestinian “refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do.” Despite this, Israel has never allowed any Palestinian refugee to return to his/her home.

Sara Roy, a Harvard political economist and daughter of two Holocaust survivors has made it her life’s work to study and write about Gaza and how Israel has strangled its economy over time. She first arrived in Gaza in 1985 and remembers the remarkable ability of young Gazans, grandchildren of those who were expelled in 1948, to describe in detail the homes of their grandparents (https://www.nybooks.com/online/2023/12/19/the-long-war-on-gaza/).

Israel has occupied Gaza since its victory in the Six Day War in 1967. Roy writes that Israel continually added restrictions to Gazans’ movement to Israel and the West Bank. Hamas defeated Fatah in the 2006 legislative elections and took control of Gaza in 2007; that year, Israel began its total blockade of Gaza, imposing severe restrictions on who and what food products entered and exited Gaza. Israel completely controls its only two border crossings with Gaza: Erez for pedestrians and Kerem Shalom for goods. Although Egypt controls its only border crossing with Gaza, Rafah, Israel always monitors it. Israel controls how much food and potable water, electricity, and other goods enter and exit Gaza. US officials wrote in November, 2008, from Tel Aviv: “As part of their overall embargo plan against Gaza, Israeli officials have confirmed . . . on multiple occasions that they intend to keep the Gazan economy on the brink of collapse without quite pushing it over the edge.” Israel’s 17-year blockade of Gaza has devastated Gaza’s economy; the unemployment rate is at 46.4% and almost everyone in Gaza relies on humanitarian aid (https://www.nybooks.com/online/2023/12/19/the-long-war-on-gaza/).

In the past 17 years and before the current war, Israel has unleashed numerous aerial and land assaults on Gaza, killing thousands of Palestinians civilians and destroying much. The US gives Israel $3.8 bil per year in military aid – and if Israel’s Iron Dome (its aerial defense against rockets Hamas or other Gazan militias send into Israel) is depleted, the US Congress approves extra military aid to Israel. Gaza does not have, as Israel does, an Army, Air Force, Navy or nuclear weapons.

Hamas sees itself as the protector of the Palestinian people, including their brothers and sisters who live on the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. Hamas also feels it must protect the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam, from incursions and raids by Israeli Occupation Forces. There are now upwards of 700,000 Jewish settlers living in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to a report made to the UN in 2023. Far-right Jewish Israeli leaders are arming Jewish settlers in the West Bank who are terrorizing and forcing out hundreds of Palestinians villagers from their homes. The Israeli occupying forces (IOF) work in tandem with the settlers; they do nothing to protect Palestinians. The IOF has been committing raids on towns and refugee camps in many parts of the West Bank for a long time, though they have increased since Oct 7. Since then, IOF have killed 387 Palestinians, many of them civilians and children.

It is in this context that Hamas broke through, and flew over, the wall Israel built along its border with Gaza. We condemn in the strongest terms and were horrified by Hamas’s massacre of 1,147 innocent Israeli civilians and their kidnapping of 235 Israelis, young and old, and foreign nationals.

The Case for Genocide

In RSA’s application to the ICJ to initiate a lawsuit against Israel for violating the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (aka the Genocide Convention) in relation to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, it accused Israel of “acts and omissions... (That) are genocidal in character as they are committed with… Intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group.”

The application further states that “Israel, since 7 October, in particular, has failed to prevent genocide and has failed to prosecute the direct and public incitement to genocide” and that “Israel has engaged in, is engaging in and risks further engaging in genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza.”

The Geneva Convention (GC) of 1948 is signed by 152 nations, including RSA, Israel and the US. To prove a nation is guilty of committing genocide, the accusing country has to 1) demonstrate intent on the part of the accused and 2) demonstrate that the accused committed physical acts of genocide. The GC recognizes five physical acts of genocide and a country can be found guilty of one or more of these acts. RSA is accusing Israel of committing of four acts of genocide

Killing members of the group
Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group
Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction, in part or in whole
Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.
https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2024/01/11/israels-war-textbook-genocide

Given Israeli leaders’ public, brazen remarks dehumanizing Gazans and calling for their destruction, RSA had many remarks to choose from.

On Oct 15, 2023, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin stated that Israeli soldiers “understand the scope of the mission” and stand ready to ”to defeat the bloodthirsty monsters who have risen against (Israel) to destroy us.”

On Oct 28, as Israel prepared to invade northern Gaza by land, he invoked the Biblical story of the Israelites’ total destruction of Amalek, “you must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible. And we do remember.”

The relevant Bible passage reads: “Now go, attack Amalek, and proscribe all that belongs to him. Spare no one, but kill alike men and women, infants and sucklings, oxen and sheep, camels and asses.” (https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20231228-app-01-00-en.pdf pp. 59-60.)

In addition, at a Oct 12 press conference, making it clear there’s no distinguishing between Hamas and Gazan civilians, President of Israel Isaac Herzog stated, “It’s an entire nation out there that is . It’s not true this rhetoric about civilians not aware, not involved. It’s absolutely not true . . And we will fight until we break their backbone.” Out of 2.3 million Gazans, 1 million are children, Herzog obviously holds them responsible too. (https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20231228-app-01-00-en.pdf P. 60.)

On 9 October, in an IDF “situation update” Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant announced that Israel was “imposing a complete siege on Gaza. No electricity, no food, no water, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.” He also told IDF troops on Gaza border that he’d “released all restraints.” He continued “Gaza won’t return to what is was. We will eliminate everything.” (https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20231228-app-01-00-en.pdf pp. 60-61.)

Regarding the first genocidal act of killing members of the group, on Oct 7, Deputy Speaker of the Knesset (Israeli parliament) Nissim Vaturi tweeted, “Now we all have one goal — erasing the Gaza Strip from the face of the earth.”

In addition to those already listed on the death toll, Democracy Now reported last week that Israeli tanks shelled Gazans as they waited for humanitarian aid in Gaza city, 20 people were killed and 150 injured. Last week in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, Israeli tanks shelled one of UNRWA’s largest facilities – a vocational training school where 30,000 Gazans were sheltering. The shells killed 12 and injured 75. UNRWA gave the IDF the coordinates of the vocational school. (https://www.democracynow.org/2024/1/25/gaza_akram_al_satarri)

The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) was set up in December, 1949 to help the 750,000 Palestinian refugees. There are now approximately 5 million Palestinian refugees who need aid.

Regarding the second genocidal act of causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, there are reports of more than 64,000 Palestinians who are injured, according to the Gaza ministry of health – an estimated 70% of whom are women and children, and many so severely injured, they needed an amputation of an arm or leg.

Since the beginning of this war, Israel has issued evacuation orders continuously. The first evacuation order in October called for one million Gazans to evacuate, a logistical impossibility, especially when one needs to evacuate hospitals with very sick patients, premature babies in incubators and the infirm elderly. In one video, a Palestinian woman said she’s have to evacuate seven times under the threat of torture. An estimated 85% of Gazans are internally displaced. Most Gazans are living in tents; there are extremely few toilets and places to shower. It is a catastrophic sanitation situation. Having lost one’s home, family members, and living in squalid conditions can cause serious mental harm. What about injured children whose whole family has been killed? No doubt, if they survive this war, they’ll be traumatized for life.

Regarding the third genocidal act, deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, Defense Minister Gallant’s orders (above) for a siege seems a clear indication of intent. Before this war, Gaza was dependent on 50 trucks of humanitarian aid a day. Israel stopped those deliveries entirely until the brief ceasefire, but then and up until the present, Israel is impeding the delivery of humanitarian aid. There is simply not enough food and potable water, there are no medicines to treat the very sick and patients who have heart problems, cancer, diabetes and other medical issues. There is no electricity and Israel is severely limiting the amount of fuel needed to run hospital generators and communication hubs, cell phones and computers. Israel is over and over again is destroying communication towers in Gaza. Last week, there was no cell and internet service for six days. When Israel lets them through, ambulances don’t know how to locate the injured. On January 4, the UN warned that, because of Israel’s relentless bombardment and shelling and Israel’s ongoing blockade, Gaza has “become uninhabitable.” The UN warned last week that almost half a million people are at “catastrophic risk” of starvation, that famine has reached Gaza with rapid speed. https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2024/01/11/israels-war-textbook-genocide/ https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/16/middleeast/gaza-famine-starvation-un-israel-war-intl-hnk/index.html

Regarding the fourth act of genocide, imposing measures to prevent births within the group, there are 50,000 pregnant woman in Gaza. All of Gaza’s hospitals are closed, except for two in southern Gaza that have just received evacuation orders. The others were destroyed by Israel’s bombardments and tank shellings. There is no place for pregnant women to safely deliver their babies. If by some miracle women deliver healthy babies, they have no formula and very little, if any, potable water to drink themselves or mix with the formula.

ICJ Ruling - Will it Change Anything?

The preliminary ruling of the ICJ was released Friday, Jan 26. The court was convinced by the RSA’s application and a full hearing is set to follow. Because the ICJ could take years adjudicating this case, the court instructed Israel to submit a report to the RSA in one month for its review. In the report, Israel is obliged to detail how, when and where it has taken the compulsory measures not only to prevent genocide, but also the incitement to genocide and to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

To the disappointment of those of us in the peace, freedom and justice movement, ICJ did not rule for a ceasefire. There are 15 judges who sit regularly on the ICJ and both the prosecuting country and defending country may appoint ad hoc judges, so 17 judges in all voted on the following provisional measures requested by RSA:

By 15-2: Israel shall take all measures within its power to prevent all acts within the scope of Article 2 of the GC (Israel and Uganda voted against).
By 15-2: Israel must immediately ensure that its military does not commit acts within the scope of GC.2.
By 61-1: Direct and punish all members of the public who engage in the incitement of against Palestinians. (Israel voted against rulings 3-6)
By 16-1: Ensure provision of urgently needed basic services, humanitarian aid.
By 15-2: Prevent the destruction of and ensure the preservation of evidence to allegation of acts of G.2
By 15-2: Israel shall submit a report as to how they’re adhering to the orders to the ICJ within 1 month.

Action To Take

Please reach out to your senators and representatives to ask them to call for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War. Request that they vote against military aid to Israel as long as Israel violates the human rights of Palestinians in the Occupied. The Capitol Switchboard number: 202-224-3121
Many countries have made statements supporting RSA’s case before the ICJ. They are: Turkey, Jordan, Malaysia, Bolivian, Colombia, Brazil, Cuba, Maldives, Namibia, Pakistan, Nicaragua and the 57 nations in the Organization of Islamic Countries.
As well as making statements of support, it is important that these countries to formally file their support with the ICJ. World Beyond War has a template of a letter you can send to these countries asking they make that filing with the ICJ. Below is a link to you to WBW’s template.

https://worldbeyondwar.org/gaza-genocide/

Remembering Caroline Peery: 1894–2000

Post date: Wed, 01/31/2024 - 11:34

By Claudia Fatimah Peery Smith

February 2024

Caroline Watson Peery, my grandmother, dedicated her entire life to the pursuit of peace, freedom and social equality. She did so as a life-long member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). Caroline was born to David Watson and the former Molly Watkins in Oswego, Kansas in 1894. Both of her parents were the children of enslaved Africans.

When I was a child, grandma Caroline used to tell me about how she used to rub the scars on her, once enslaved, grandmother’s back. Those healed over wounds were a painful reminder of the beatings her grandmother endured before the Emancipation Proclamation ended Black bondage in the USA. Caroline herself came of age when legalized Jim Crow racial segregation ruled the South and unwritten racial discrimination practices were rampant in the North. Grandma Caroline told me that she was greatly inspired by her childhood encounters with some resilient, still surviving, former slaves. She said that the life stories those elders shared, “Filled her heart with hope for a better future.”

Only Black Student In Her Class

Caroline Watson Peery In 1914, at the age of 20, Caroline entered Drake college in Des Moines, Iowa to become a teacher. She was the only Black student in her class which was not a socially comfortable situation back then. But grandma Caroline refused to let racism, prejudice and discriminatory treatment stop her. She chose to become an educator during a historical period when 90% of the USA’s enslaved African descendant population still resided in the Southern states. It was a time when the Jim Crow South’s discriminatory practices made it extremely difficult for the newly freed slaves to obtain any formal schooling.

She decided to become part of the American Missionary Society’s efforts to provide formal educational opportunities for African American children in the Southern states. The American Missionary Society initially sent Caroline to teach and assist with the development of a school for Black children at Mound Bayou, Mississippi. She was later reassigned to another school for the children of formerly enslaved Black people in Albany, Georgia. It was not unusual for resentful racists to burn the South’s independent Black schools to the ground back then, and they occasionally lynched the teachers. But that did not stop grandma Caroline either.

Sharing knowledge and elevating the consciousness of others was a way of life with grandma Caroline. She never thought of teaching as a mere job. In her mind, educating yourself, and then teaching others was a moral-spiritual mission for visionary thinkers. She believed that the preservation of human civilization calls for the presence of a skilled and knowledgeable society of people. In her mind, ignorance was the main ingredient needed for hostile racist behavior.

No Longer Allowed to Teach Once Married

However, her employment as a schoolteacher ended when she married Benjamin Franklin Peery in the 1920s. Early 20th century school systems required all female school teachers to give up their profession once they decided to start their own families. Consequently, her experience with gender-based discrimination motivated grandma Caroline to not only speak out against racism, but sexism, as well. She openly and unapologetically upheld the right of both women and the descendants of African slaves to vote.

Caroline and Benjamin Peery raised seven sons, five of whom served in the USA’s military branches. Grandma was gravely concerned about the number of lives lost during combat in World War II (1941–1945). Like most other war time mothers, she constantly worried about the fate of her soldier sons. Furthermore, the new reality of mass destructive nuclear warfare made her fearful for the future of all humanity.

Renewed Activism

The years that followed were a period of renewed activism for the maturing, now empty nested, grandma Caroline. Sometimes, she took me with her to participate in non-violent protests on behalf of civil rights and world peace. She was not afraid to personally confront individual citizens, journalists, preachers, her local elected officials and even congressional representatives about the need to eliminate the USA’s social ills. She challenged people in power quietly, but face to face, about the evils of nuclear war, poverty, racial hatred and illiteracy.

My aging grandma Caroline once told me that she managed to get a private interview with the then young and rising Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. She described the 15 minutes that she was able to spend with him as “priceless moments.” Caroline prioritized the importance of arming the nation’s younger people with the leadership skills that are needed to govern a humane and progressive society. She admired Dr. King for his courageous leadership for the rest of her life.

Caroline clung to the principles of non-violence and peaceful reconciliation at a time when race riots were exploding everywhere in Black urban America (1963–1969). Yet, in the midst of all that social change chaos, grandma Caroline made a beyond idealistic and optimistic prediction for the future. She said, “One day the nations of the world will learn to come together, talk to each other, and reason out their differences. When that day comes, there will be no more wars.”

Caroline had the rare opportunity to experience life in three different centuries. Even more remarkable is the fact that she never abandoned her belief that humanity can create a harmonious and productive world. She remained an advocate for human equality, peace and freedom until she passed away in the year 2000 at the age of 106. Caroline Watson Peery was a resolute Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom pioneer and an unsung national treasure who must never be forgotten.

Post date: Wed, 01/31/2024 - 11:28

By Wendy McDowell
Editor, Peace & Freedom

February 2024

We know there is a deep font of wisdom, knowledge and expertise in WILPF. We would love to have a wider range of WILPFers writing knowledgeable and well informed articles on topics related to Peace & Freedom issue themes!

WILPF US’s flagship magazine Peace & Freedom is published twice per year. Not only is this publication read and enjoyed by all active WILPF members, but branches and at-large members share it with the public when they table at local peace and justice events.

Unlike eNews articles, which necessarily need to be short and focused on events, calls to action and programming, Peace & Freedom articles allow you to go into greater depth. You can delve into the history, politics and continued activism related to your topic, as Gwyn Kirk did in the lead article from the last issue (Fall/Winter 2023): "Seventy Years Is Enough: End the Korean War!".

Find that issue and other back issues on the WILPF US website at: https://wilpfus.org/resources/publications.

You can also write about topics your issue committees or branches have chosen to focus on. In the last issue, Janice Hawkins from the Des Moines Branch shared her branch’s experience getting a "No Mow May" initiative off the ground, with advice to other branches that might choose to pursue similar efforts in their own backyard.

Peace & Freedom is an ideal place to share expertise you’ve gained from your personal, work, and/or activist life that you know other WILPFers could benefit from. In the latest issue, Linda Belle provided insights from her years doing local conflict resolution work in Santa Cruz County, and two members from the Domestic Prisoners of War Issue Committee, April Rumery and Rita Gonzalez, shared vitally important perspectives from domestic violence survivors.

Sometimes we also print book reviews or book recommendations, yet another avenue for those of you who are avid readers. In the Fall/Winter 2023 issue, Robin Lloyd’s discussion of two recent books that referenced four "fearless" women intensely committed to world peace throughout the twentieth century highlights yet another topic you can write about, one that is beloved to many WILPFers: the long, storied history of peace activism.

What might you contribute to a future issue of Peace & Freedom? Please contact me by email at wendymcdowell12@gmail.com with topics and areas of interest you could address. If writing is not your forte but you know writers (either inside or outside of WILPF) who would be able to discuss an important issue, feel free to share those ideas and contacts with me.

Another possibility is to propose a Q&A with someone you know has the knowledge base to address an issue important to WILPF. That’s what a team of WILPFers did for the Spring/Summer 2023 issue when they interviewed Palestinian activist Mazin Qumsiyeh for "Manufactured Water Scarcity and Mental Colonization."

The Spring/Summer 2024 issue is going to be focused on US election issues, including the economy from a WILPF perspective. Instead of funding solutions to the expanding climate crisis and the vast racial and class inequality, the United States continues to allocate over half of our discretionary budget to the military. What are activists already doing to challenge the dominant "rigged economy," and how do we build a "solidarity economy"? How can we "move the money" to fund much-needed public health, education, climate mitigation and infrastructure programs that benefit the people?

I’ve already reached out to some of you to write for the upcoming issue (please do answer my emails, even if you are unable to write this time around). The following issue of Peace & Freedom will be partly devoted to material from the WILPF US Congress, but there is always room for additional articles related to the main theme or pieces focused on unique branch initiatives.

I look forward to hearing your ideas and hopefully working with you in the future! Write to me at: wendymcdowell12@gmail.com.

Activism in the Nation's Capital

Post date: Wed, 01/31/2024 - 11:17

Department of Justice when Australian Parliamentarians visited the DOJ (Luci & Martha on the left).

By Martha Allen

February 2024

Martha Allen's participation in WILPF follows in the footsteps of her mother who was active in the early 1960s, including as the National Legislative chair of WILPF. Martha is also the Director of the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press (www.wifp.org).

WILPF DC, Maryland, Virginia (DMV) members have been active visiting senators and representatives in Congress calling for a ceasefire and no more US taxpayer money for the genocide in Gaza. We visited embassies around the city urging them to sign onto the case of South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Connecting with other local activists working on peace and justice issues, our members are deeply involved in anti-imperialist actions, No to NATO efforts, environmental issues, community control of the police, and local efforts such as supporting the Bethesda African Cemetery that is being demolished. And, among these many other concerns, we are active in the efforts to free journalist and publisher Julian Assange.

DC WILPF have been joining many other organizations such as CodePink, Doctors Against Genocide, Teachers Against Genocide, Palestine American Women's Association, and Nonviolence International, visiting congressional offices in the House and Senate calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire and no more money to Israel. Many of the visits include creative theater to dramatize the urgency of our concerns. At times, we consist of dozens or more members, therefore we divide into groups to visit more offices, after we coordinate themes to focus on.

The testimonies and expressions from Palestinian participants and others who have been in Gaza and the West Bank are very moving. We circulate videos and photos of our daily events where independent media can share. Numerous times, Al Jazeera Arabic has covered live at length. Photos and videos have been viewed in the Middle East and around the world. It gives us some encouragement to continue when it is such a struggle to obtain even the most basic ceasefire. The world's people are standing up and so have many in cities around the US. We highlight how the Israel lobbies such as AIPAC have given hundreds of thousands, and even millions, to our congressional representatives. Awareness is increasing, and efforts for peace and justice is now significant, particularly among young people.

We've joined with Hazami Barmada and her creative daily actions around the DMV. She has mobilized Palestinians and a wide range of activists and newly active individuals that join her in actions organized through What's App groups. You've likely seen some of their outstanding "die-ins'' and other creations on social media sites. Perhaps the greatest impact was the incredible theater in front of the White House during the recent March on Washington for Gaza on January 13th. It included a skit of blindfolded men, stripped and rounded up by Israeli military who demanded they kneel. These dedicated volunteers did this powerful presentation in the January cold.

Bread and Puppel Other members joined contingents in the gigantic March that proceeded from Freedom Plaza to the White House. Four members of the DC Branch of WILPF outfitted themselves in white to join the Bread & Puppet Theatre's continent with its many birds (wings & bird masks), including large bird puppets hovering over the Marchers as we proceeded along the streets. Bread & Puppet Theatre is a politically radical theater based in Vermont. WILPF's Dianne Blais had notified our branch of the opportunity to join the continent. Photo: Bread & Puppets continent at the March on Washington for Gaza. Credit: Martha Allen

The visits to embassies encouraged them to sign onto the case of South Africa at the ICJ. An early victory was a wonderful meeting at the Bolivian Embassy that resulted in Bolivia joining South Africa in their powerful case. Our Luci Murphy would lead us in singing as we engage in actions that bring some beauty and hope as we focus on the serious endeavors to bring an end to the genocide. We celebrated in front of the South African Embassy.

With the crisis that arose in Gaza from the ongoing occupation and settler colonialism, we haven't stopped our attention on the critical need for a free and independent press and our support for Julian Assange who through WikiLeaks exposed so much of the crimes and injustices going on. Vigils are held across from the home from Attorney General Merrick Garland and at the White House. This has been going on for years. Demonstrations also happen at the Department of Justice periodically.

While our members consist of individuals deeply involved in many other important organizations and actions – and join with us in important ways – I'd like to give a shout-out to just a few of our members who make up a core that we can count on: Tara Vassefi, Luci Murphy, Julie Leak, Fran Sanderson, Huayra Anna Forster, Ellen Siegel, Ellen Barfield, and Jill Clark-Gollub. Our strength is all of us, not just our core, and our branch is growing.

WILPF US is Hiring!

Post date: Wed, 01/31/2024 - 11:01

By Jan Corderman and Marybeth Gardam

WILPFE US has announced they are looking for candidates for two open positions.

Field Organizer

This is an exciting time to join our team as we deepen our efforts to work toward a just, rights-respecting and pluralistic future. We’re looking for an experienced, diligent, creative and strategic-minded individual passionate about our work and mission.

If you think you'd be a good fit for this position – or if you know someone who may be – please apply now or spread the word among your community and networks.

About the Position
The Field Organizer’s primary role is to enlarge and activate WILPF’s membership base in the US, building volunteer-based branches through local educational, activist, and media work on national and locally developed projects. The work of this Field Organizer will help to strengthen the peace movement in the United States by working with local allies in various coalitions, new and longstanding. The Field Organizer will be responsible for enlarging and making more visible the Local WILPF presence in peace/anti-war events and for promoting WILPF’s work.

This is a remote, part-time (up to 70 hrs/mo) independent contractor position. Compensation is $25-$30/hr depending on experience.
Duties & Responsibilities:

Work through WILPF’s national Membership Development Committee and with existing and new branches to support their membership development efforts and help establish new member recruiting committees where none may exist.
Mentor leaders, other WILPF members, and interns in strategies that help strengthen branch visibility in the community to grow membership.
Work with WILPF’s national issue committees and project leaders to assist branches to identify actionable projects in their community that reflect local concerns which connect to WILPF’s mission and values.
Work with branches and Membership Development Committee to conduct leadership training sessions to enhance organizing skills, drawing from the experience and expertise of branch members.
Work with branches to help organize local ‘meet and greet’ or recruiting events to attract new prospects.
Work with branches to identify new leadership and leadership-sharing opportunities.
Work with branches to connect with other activists and organizations in their community and build coalitions to advance WILPF’s vision.
Develop effective and strategic local communication networks that reach prospective members, including social and local media.
Collaborate as needed with member leaders, and any assigned interns in a team environment.
Prepare monthly reports that include number and type of contacts made, hours worked, responses, recruiting or organizing events planned, successes and challenges. Work collaboratively with member leaders to share successes and overcome challenges.

Education:
B.A. or A.A. degree is a plus.

Desired Experience and Qualifications:

Past work with diverse groups of people, with varying skill levels and socio-economic backgrounds
Effective management of time, tasks and communications by phone, email and video conferencing
Excellent written, verbal and social media skills
Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel
Proficiency in social media with experience on multiple platforms
Strong ability to work as a team player
Strong organizational skills and ability to work independently
Ability to work flexible schedule
Experience in community organizing or membership development work.
Proficiency in using Canva to design posts across channels would be a plus

How to Apply:

Send resume, cover letter, and 2-3 professional references to jancorderman@msn.com by no later than February 29, 2024. Put “Field Organizer Resume” in the Subject Line.

Project Manager/Scheduler

WILPF US also seeks an experienced Project Manager/Scheduler to support a communications and outreach campaign to engage current and potential new members. This role will require coordination of the schedules of board members, staff and volunteers to assist the search and recruitment of a new executive director. This position will also require liaison with a graphic design and communications company to help drive a major campaign for WILPF US.

This position is a part time contractor position working remotely within the Continental US. The time commitment is expected to average 10 hours per month with a compensation of $800/month for a commitment of 12 months.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Assist Search Committee to review applications based on approved criteria/requirements.
Collect applications and resumes from Executive Director candidates, eliminating those which do not meet basic criteria/requirements.
Assist the Search Committee to develop strategic interview questions for shortlisted candidates.
To schedule interviews with candidates and members of the Search Committee.
To assist in scheduling meetings with branding companies who respond to a formal RFP and track quotes, services proposed and timelines for goals/outcomes/production of materials.

Experience and Qualifications:

Strong organizational skills and ability to work Independently, combined with ability to collaborate and communicate well with team members.
Demonstrated ability to effectively manage time, tasks and communicate by phone, email and video conferencing.
Excellent written, verbal and social media skills.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Excel and using/facilitating Zoom meetings.
Demonstrated experience working with diverse groups of people, with varying skill levels and socio-economic backgrounds.
Demonstrated ability to manage projects and tasks on schedule and on budget.
Ability to work a flexible schedule.

How to Apply:

Please submit a cover letter, resume and two references by February 5, 2024 to info@WILPFus.org.

About WILPF US

WILPF US is a 501(c) (4) membership organization that envisions a transformed world at peace, where there is racial, social, and economic justice for all people everywhere. WILPF is the oldest international Women’s Peace organization in the world, founded in 1915 by Jane Addams of Hull House. WILPF enjoys consultative status at the United Nations and has offices in The Hague and Geneva Switzerland. The US Section office is located in Des Moines IA. Learn more and join WILPF at www/WILPFus.org.

WILPF US is an equal opportunity, equal access, and affirmative action organization, committed to achieving a diverse membership and workforce.

Post date: Wed, 01/31/2024 - 11:00

By The Middle East Peace and Justice Action Committee

February 2024

The Middle East Peace and Justice Action Committee (MEPJAC) supports peace and justice for all of the peoples of the Middle East, and is actively working toward that goal. On Jan. 11th, International WILPF issued a statement in support of the ongoing case brought by South Africa, in which Israel is being accused of genocide against the people of Gaza. We do support the right of all peoples to self-defense, but we insist that all nations abide by the treaties to which they are signatories.

There is plenty of blame to go around in the current fighting, but there is a thin line between defensive and offensive actions, and we cannot condone the killing of innocent civilians by any side in a conflict. We encourage our members to read the international statement, which can be found here. We also realize that many of our members have some difficulty in understanding the current conflict, and we hope you will read our eNews submission, and follow the link. We hope it will clarify some history and put the current fighting into perspective.

Longtime WILPF Middle East activist Barbara Taft has written an article for Disarmament Times, the publication of the United Nations NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security. published on January 3, "There Were No Guns in Palestine” was written to counter much of the disinformation that is circulating about the current conflict between the State of Israel and the organization known as Hamas, she used her own experiences during 10 visits to the region between 1967 and 2009 to create an easy-to-read but comprehensive overview of regional history, who the parties are, what armaments each possesses, and the difficulty people in the West have in untangling the issues, which are often referred to as "confusing" or "complicated".

Barbara, who was a co-author of our MEPJAC booklet entitled "Hamas at the Peace Table: Why?" in 2015, holds a Master's in Political Science and wrote her Master's thesis on "Nationalism, Legitimacy, and Sovereignty: The Case for Palestinian Statehood". MEPJAC thought you might like to read the article and, hopefully, pass along the link. Several folks who have read it say that it has helped their understanding of the conflict, and that it will help them to speak to others in an intelligent way about it. Here is an excerpt from the article. (It has no restrictions on reprinting, distribution, or excerpting from it, so please distribute the link widely.)

"There Were No Guns in Palestine" by Barbara Taft

"There were no guns in Palestine." During the bombardment of Gaza by Israel in October/November of 2023, those words came back to me.

I was sitting in the dining room of a small Palestinian home in East Jerusalem. It was the summer of 1985. My host, a Palestinian attorney, who had just uttered these words, had invited me to a lunch of homemade malfoof (small cabbage rolls stuffed with ground beef). He paused for a moment after speaking, to let the words sink in.

He went on to tell me that his home was typical of Palestinian homes. His statement about guns actually wasn't 100% true, he said. He thought there might be an old rifle somewhere in his house. He didn't even know where it was. In the 1940s, when he was a child, he recalled that his father had used it to shoot rabbits for the family's dinner. To his knowledge, he continued, most Palestinian families were like his: No guns.

From my own experience, having made four other visits to the Holy Land by then, what he said was largely true at that time. My! How things have changed!

I was in Jerusalem then researching a biography that I hoped to write and publish, of my late friend, Karim Khalaf, the former mayor of Ramallah, a largely Christian city in the West Bank, a few kilometers north of Jerusalem. Karim had been the victim of a car bombing on June 2, 1980, by members of the Israeli Terror Underground, which referred to itself as "Terror Against Terror" or TNT. They had targeted three West Bank mayors, planting bombs in the cars of Mayor Khalaf and Mayor Bassam Shaka of Nablus, and a third bomb on the garage door of Mayor Ibrahim Tawil of El Bireh.

At that time, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza had been under military occupation by Israel for about 13 years. The occupation was harsh. The earliest responses to this occupation took the form of protests, including letters to the Israel authorities, newspaper articles and public speeches, often at impromptu rallies. The Israeli response was to make the restrictions tighter.

Finally, in an attempt to placate the Palestinians' desires for self-determination, Israel allowed municipal elections. They soon regretted having done so, as some of the mayors elected were Palestinian nationalists and were strong proponents of self-determination. Their election gave them a platform from which to advocate for the things their people wanted most.

The bombings of the three mayors were not meant to kill, but to maim, to cause sufficient physical damage to deter the Palestinian leadership from speaking out. The Jewish perpetrators of these crimes were never tried. Some of them bragged, when they were later captured and accused of other crimes, about what they had done to the mayors. Although this amounted to a confession, no trials ever occurred for the bombings.

Meanwhile, Israel's harsh crackdown continued to fall upon the Palestinian people. The mayors suffered, but not in silence. Mayor Bassam Shaka, whose legs had to be amputated below the knee, was placed under house arrest. He protested loudly, saying that he had every right to speak out. Additional harassment was the price he paid for speaking out. Karim Khalaf was exiled to the family's second home, in Jericho, where he was placed under town arrest. He spoke out, but not the same way that Bassam Shaka did. He often said, "When peace comes, believe me, it will be peace for everyone, not just peace for the Arabs or peace for the Jews. It will be peace for everyone". He died of a heart attack five years after the bombings.

It is ironic that this Israeli terrorist group viewed the outspokenness of the Palestinian mayors as "terror". …

To read the rest of the article, click here.

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