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Coalition of Women for Peace

Parent Organization: Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ)
Website:

coalitionofwomen.org/
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Project of:

Alliance for Global Justice
Location:

Israel

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The Coalition of Women for Peace (CWP) is a left-of-center, pro-Palestinian activism organization based in Tel Aviv, Israel that protests the Israeli government and supports the creation of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state. 1 CWP is also responsible for Who Profits, an organization which published a list of Israeli businesses active in the West Bank and Gaza that has been used as a tool in the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. 2

CWP organizes protests and publications against the Israeli government and has been noted for supporting BDS activism. 3 CWP receives funding from foreign political entities, including the American organizing group Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ). 4 AfGJ has numerous associations with the radical left, running efforts in defense of the de facto socialist dictatorship of Venezuela,5 publishing a defense of the North Korean regime,6 and taking actions on behalf of radical-left extremists including Leonard Peltier and Mumia Abu-Jamal. 7 8 9

History

Coalition of Women for Peace was founded in November 2000 by group of Palestinian and Israeli women in Tel Aviv to protest Israel’s involvement in the Palestinian Territories “from a feminist perspective.” 10 CWP states that activists created the group out of a desire to protect “the feminist left space” and resist Israel’s “occupation” of the disputed Gaza and West Bank regions. 11

CWP united the efforts of nine left-of-center organizations, including Women in Black, the Movement of Democratic Women in Israel (TANDI), and the Israeli branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). 12 The coalition organized the Feminist Vision for Peace Conference in late 2000 to write CWP’s founding principles, which include establishing a sovereign Palestinian state, sharing Jerusalem between an independent Palestine and Israel as a capital of both states, and resisting Israeli military operations. 13

In 2007, CWP launched its cornerstone project: “Who Profits from the Occupation.” 14 Through Who Profits, CWP aimed to research and “expose” companies affiliated with Israel that “profit from the occupation.” 15 These companies primarily included developers, infrastructure companies, and construction companies who contract with the Israeli government to develop and revitalize the disputed regions of the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights. 16 CWP alleges that by working with the Israeli government, companies “design and supply equipment and tools used for the control and repression of the Palestinian civilian population.” 17 Who Profits expanded rapidly and registered as a separate nonprofit organization in 2013 that still works with CWP on various initiatives. 18

In 2010, CWP opened a community activity center to be used by left-of-center organizers as a hub for activism in Tel Aviv. 19 Today, CWP frames itself as committed to “ending the occupation” of Palestinian lands by the Israeli government, organizing public campaigns, publishing original material, and leading anti-Israel projects to achieve this goal. 20 CWP further works with international groups to organize against the Israeli government and has supported the left-wing international Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement in a move to weaken Israel. 21

Protests

Coalition of Women for Peace organizes frequent demonstrations in Israel against the Israeli government to force the regime to relinquish what CWP considers “occupied territory” for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. 22

In 2016, CWP organized a demonstration with activists in eight cities around the world to protest Israel’s control of water resources in the Gaza Strip. 23 CWP blamed water shortages in Palestinian areas on Israeli policy and called the water shortages “an inseparable part of a policy of oppression under occupation.” 24 The protest consisted of protestors holding illuminated signs which read, “Water is a Right” in various languages in eight cities spanning three continents. 25

Tel Aviv Pride

In July of 2017, CWP activists blocked the LGBT Pride Parade in Tel Aviv. 26 In December of that same year, the Israeli government detained three Palestinian women after they prevented Israeli soldiers from entering their home by hitting them and pushing them off their property. 27 CWP representatives argued that the attacks were justified because the family’s land had been “stolen” by the Israeli government, organizing a protest in Tel Aviv to call on Israel to release the women. 28

Eurovision 2019

In 2019, after the announcement that Eurovision would be held in Tel Aviv, Coalition of Women for Peace organized a year of campaigns in an attempt to get artists and tourists to boycott Eurovision in opposition to the Israeli government, accusing the Israel of trying to “whitewash its crimes against the Palestinian people” by hosting the event. 29 During the week of Eurovision, CWP organizers launched a series of protests on every day of the event, calling Israel an “apartheid regime” in which “Palestinians live under a military regime and siege.” 30

Great Return March

On March 30, a large group of Palestinian protestors in Gaza organized the “Great Return March,” a march on Israel’s border fence to oppose the alleged occupation of the Gaza region and demand a right of all those of Palestinian descent to return to live in the region. 31 Israeli members of Coalition of Women for Peace joined the protestors, calling on other Israeli citizens to do the same in order. 32

CWP organized buses out of Tel Aviv for Israelis wishing to join the Palestinian demonstrators and claimed that the Israeli media was “inciting” tensions against the demonstrators. 33 Ahead of the protest, Tanya Rubinstein, a CWP coordinator, told left-wing publication +972 Magazine that there was a “gap” between protest coverage from within Gaza and “incitement” from Israeli media, arguing that the discrepancy “leaves no doubt about the violent intentions of the Israeli authorities” to suppress the protest. 34

The protest was supposed to last for six weeks, and it was initially largely peaceful on both sides. Journalists quickly discovered that the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas was involved in the protest, with Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniya claiming publicly during the march that the “peaceful” protests were “a deadly weapon” that would allow Hamas to achieve its goals. 35 Haniya went on to note that guns, rockets, and attack tunnels remained at hand for use against Israel during the “peaceful” protest. 36

In April, the protests turned violent, with protestors throwing stones, Molotov cocktails, and other explosives over the border fence, even attaching explosive devices to kites to target Israeli soldiers. 37 38 By May, protestors began attempting to breach the border fence, using tire burnings as smoke screens for throwing explosives, and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) began to use lethal force against protestors. 39 40 Protests continued through March of 2018. 41

In the wake of the march, CWP did not condemn the violence from Hamas, but instead published a report alleging that the Gaza Strip was used as a “lab and a showroom” for the Israeli arms trade. 42 CWP accused the Israeli government of testing new weapons, specifically drones, on protestors in an attempt to sell them to foreign powers. 43 The report cited unfounded allegations that one drone designed to distribute tear gas was “designed specifically for use in Gaza.” 44

Research and Publications

Coalition of Women for Peace frequently publishes reports alleging that the Israeli government is a despotic, violent force towards Palestinians. Many of these reports, including CWP’s position paper on sexual violence and toolkit for feminist protestors, have been taken down, resulting in broken links and nonresponsive website pages across the CWP website. 45

In 2010, CWP published a report entitled “All Out War: Israel Against Democracy.” 46 The report alleges increasing “assaults” on pro-Palestinian Israeli organizations, claiming that the Israeli government had a “primary goal” to silence opposition. 47 CWP listed the “Disclosure Requirements for Recipients of Support from a Foreign Political Entity” bill, which aimed to require organizations that receive funding from foreign government affiliates to disclose their involvement, as an attempt to silence political dissidents. 48 CWP called the bill “draconian” and an attempt to “de-legitimize” human rights organizations. 49CWP has at times received the majority of its funding from foreign entities. 50

In 2018, CWP activists continued to allege that they were being silenced by the Israeli government following the detention of CWP organizer Tanya Rubenstein at the Tel Aviv airport. 51 Rubenstein was returning from a conference sponsored by the foreign ministry of Sweden when the Israeli Shin Bet security service detained her for 30 minutes, informing her that they had received information which led to security concerns. 52 Rubenstein was released in just half an hour without further conflict, but she claimed that she was detained in order to restrict CWP activity. 53 Other left-of-center activists did not corroborate the idea of detentions being used as political tactics to silence Israeli groups, claiming that they knew only of foreign citizens being detained at the airport for political reasons. 54 Rubenstein was not questioned at the airport, nor has Shin Bet taken any action against Rubenstein since. 55

In 2019, the CWP released a series of videos of various Palestinian women telling stories of “living under Israeli occupation.” 56 CWP also criticized Yedioth Ahronoth, one of the largest Israeli daily newspapers, for fighting the BDS campaign, publishing an article entitled “The Nonviolent Struggle – An Approach that Troubles Israel” in support of BDS. 57 The full text of the article has since been removed from CWP’s website. 58

Support for BDS

Though Coalition of Women for Peace claims that its members are mixed on supporting the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, the group has taken several steps in support of BDS as a way of weakening the Israeli government in recent years. In 2011, the Israeli legislature introduced a bill which would prohibit the use of boycotts as a means of political protest against the government of Israel. 59 CWP organized a petition of over 50 left-of-center Israeli organizations to halt the progress of the bill. 60

In 2019, the United Nations Human Rights Council began reviewing a list of companies that do business in the West Bank, considering whether it should publish an official list as targets for potential boycott campaigns. 61 Who Profits and the CWP provided most of the names on the list, but an independent evaluation by NGO Monitor revealed that boycotting the listed companies would disproportionately damage the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank in comparison to the lives of Israelis and the strength of the Israeli government. 62 The Who Profits list, which began as a CWP initiative, is also frequently used by the global BDS campaign to target Israel, even though several of the listed companies count Palestinians among their top constituencies. 63

People and Funding

CWP is organized as an open assembly and does not acknowledge any formal leaders. 64 The group meets as an assembly monthly, adopting potential projects and activities by consensus. 65 CWP also organizes steering and ad-hoc committees with rotating members to make administrative decisions and direct CWP activism. 66

In 2016, CWP reported $330,973 in revenue and $917,883 in net assets. 67 CWP receives a majority of its funding from left-of-center foreign political entities, including the American radical-left fiscal sponsorship organization Alliance for Global Justice since 2012. 68 CWP has also received funding directly from foreign government entities, including the European Commission. 69

References

  1. “About CWP.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020.

    https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/2.

  2. Bob, Yonah Jeremy. “Report: BDS Blacklist under Review by UN Body Will Harm

    Palestinians.” The Jerusalem Post , January 28, 2019. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/report-bds-blacklist-under-review-by-un-body-will-harm-palestinians-578567.

  3. “50 Israeli Civil Society Organizations to the Knesset: Halt Legislation of Anti-BDS Bill.”

    Coalition of Women for Peace, February 6, 2011. https://coalitionofwomen.org/article/1.

  4. “Our Partners.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/3.
  5. “Protest at OAS says ‘U.S. hands off Venezuela!’” Workers World. June 09, 2017. Accessed November 30, 2017. https://www.workers.org/2017/06/09/protest-at-oas-says-u-s-hands-off-venezuela/
  6. Smith, Stansfield. “An Interview with North Koreans.” Alliance for Global Justice. April 07, 2013. Accessed December 07, 2017. https://afgj.org/an-interview-with-north-koreans. Workers.org version: Smith, Stan. “A Korean View of Current Situation.” Workers World, April 12, 2013. https://www.workers.org/2013/04/8171/. Archived version of both: AfGJ + Workers.org – North Korea
  7. “Political Prisoners in the USA.” Alliance for Global Justice. September 07, 2017. Accessed December 08, 2017. https://afgj.org/politicalprisonersusa
  8. Pamela Anderson Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2014, Part XV
  9. “AfGJ’s Fiscally Sponsored Projects.” Alliance for Global Justice. Accessed December 08, 2017. https://afgj.org/sponsored-projects/fiscally-sponsored-projects/fiscally-sponsored-projects.
  10. “History of CWP.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/4.
  11. “History of CWP.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/4.
  12. “History of CWP.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/4.
  13. “History of CWP.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/4.
  14. “About CWP.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/2.
  15. “About CWP.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/2.
  16. “About CWP.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/2.
  17. “About CWP.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/2.
  18. “About CWP.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/2.
  19. “About CWP.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/2.
  20. “About CWP.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/2.
  21. “About CWP.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/2.
  22. “Activities.” Coalition of Women for Peace -, June 5, 2019. https://coalitionofwomen.org/category/15.
  23. Noy, Orly. “Global Protests Highlight Severe Water Crisis in Gaza and West Bank.” +972 Magazine, August 15, 2016. https://www.972mag.com/global-protests-highlight-severe-water-crisis-in-gaza-and-west-bank/.
  24. Noy, Orly. “Global Protests Highlight Severe Water Crisis in Gaza and West Bank.” +972 Magazine, August 15, 2016. https://www.972mag.com/global-protests-highlight-severe-water-crisis-in-gaza-and-west-bank/.
  25. Noy, Orly. “Global Protests Highlight Severe Water Crisis in Gaza and West Bank.” +972 Magazine, August 15, 2016. https://www.972mag.com/global-protests-highlight-severe-water-crisis-in-gaza-and-west-bank/.
  26. Marom, Yael. “Anti-Occupation LGBTQ Activists Block Tel Aviv Pride Parade.” +972 Magazine, June 13, 2017. https://www.972mag.com/anti-occupation-lgbtq-activists-block-tel-aviv-pride-parade/.
  27. Kane, Alex, Suha Arraf, and Mohammed Khatib. “Israeli Activists Stage Vigil to Release the Tamimi Women.” +972 Magazine, December 25, 2017. https://www.972mag.com/israeli-activists-stage-vigil-to-release-the-tamimi-women/.
  28. Kane, Alex, Suha Arraf, and Mohammed Khatib. “Israeli Activists Stage Vigil to Release the Tamimi Women.” +972 Magazine, December 25, 2017. https://www.972mag.com/israeli-activists-stage-vigil-to-release-the-tamimi-women/.
  29. Rubinstein, Tanya. “We Made Sure Israel Couldn’t Hide the Occupation from Eurovision.” +972 Magazine, May 22, 2019. https://www.972mag.com/israel-occupation-eurovision/.
  30. Rubinstein, Tanya. “We Made Sure Israel Couldn’t Hide the Occupation from Eurovision.” +972 Magazine, May 22, 2019. https://www.972mag.com/israel-occupation-eurovision/.
  31. Marom, Yael. “Israeli Activists Plan Protest in Solidarity with Gaza Return March.” +972 Magazine, April 1, 2018. https://www.972mag.com/israeli-activists-plan-protest-in-solidarity-with-gaza-return-march/.
  32. Marom, Yael. “Israeli Activists Plan Protest in Solidarity with Gaza Return March.” +972 Magazine, April 1, 2018. https://www.972mag.com/israeli-activists-plan-protest-in-solidarity-with-gaza-return-march/.
  33. Marom, Yael. “Israeli Activists Plan Protest in Solidarity with Gaza Return March.” +972 Magazine, April 1, 2018. https://www.972mag.com/israeli-activists-plan-protest-in-solidarity-with-gaza-return-march/.
  34. Marom, Yael. “Israeli Activists Plan Protest in Solidarity with Gaza Return March.” +972 Magazine, April 1, 2018. https://www.972mag.com/israeli-activists-plan-protest-in-solidarity-with-gaza-return-march/.
  35. Halbfinger, David M. “Hamas Sees Gaza Protests as Peaceful – and as a ‘Deadly Weapon’.” The New York Times, April 15, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/15/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-gaza-great-return.html.
  36. Halbfinger, David M. “Hamas Sees Gaza Protests as Peaceful – and as a ‘Deadly Weapon’.” The New York Times, April 15, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/15/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-gaza-great-return.html.
  37. Halbfinger, David M. “Hamas Sees Gaza Protests as Peaceful – and as a ‘Deadly Weapon’.” The New York Times, April 15, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/15/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-gaza-great-return.html.
  38. “Gaza – Great March of Return.” United Nations Relief and Works Agency, March 2019. https://www.unrwa.org/campaign/gaza-great-march-return.
  39. Khoury, Jack, Yaniv Kubovich, and Almog Ben Zikri. “Mass Gaza Border Clashes: 58 Palestinians Killed by Israeli Gunfire, 1,113 Wounded.” Haaretz.com. Haaretz Newspaper, May 14, 2018. https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/.premium-mass-gaza-border-clashes-52-killed-by-israeli-gunfire-2-410-wounded-1.6091548.
  40. Toameh, Khaled Abu. “Hamas Vows Gaza Protests to Last until Palestinians ‘Return to All of Palestine’.” The Times of Israel, April 9, 2018. https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-vows-gaza-protests-to-continue-until-they-return-to-all-of-palestine.
  41. “Gaza – Great March of Return.” United Nations Relief and Works Agency, March 2019. https://www.unrwa.org/campaign/gaza-great-march-return.
  42. “’A Lab and a Showroom’: New Report Looks at Israeli Arms Trade, Gaza Crackdown.” Middle East Monitor, June 29, 2018. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180629-a-lab-and-a-showroom-new-report-looks-at-israeli-arms-trade-gaza-crackdown/.
  43. “’A Lab and a Showroom’: New Report Looks at Israeli Arms Trade, Gaza Crackdown.” Middle East Monitor, June 29, 2018. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180629-a-lab-and-a-showroom-new-report-looks-at-israeli-arms-trade-gaza-crackdown/.
  44. “’A Lab and a Showroom’: New Report Looks at Israeli Arms Trade, Gaza Crackdown.” Middle East Monitor, June 29, 2018. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180629-a-lab-and-a-showroom-new-report-looks-at-israeli-arms-trade-gaza-crackdown/.
  45. “Gender Sensitivity and Feminist Methodologies for CSO’s.” Coalition of Women for Peace, October 15, 2014. https://coalitionofwomen.org/article/45.
  46. “New CWP Report, ‘All-Out War: Israel Against Democracy.’” Coalition of Women for Peace, December 8, 2010. https://coalitionofwomen.org/article/138.
  47. “New CWP Report, ‘All-Out War: Israel Against Democracy.’” Coalition of Women for Peace, December 8, 2010. https://coalitionofwomen.org/article/138.
  48. “New CWP Report, ‘All-Out War: Israel Against Democracy.’” Coalition of Women for Peace, December 8, 2010. https://coalitionofwomen.org/article/138.
  49. “New CWP Report, ‘All-Out War: Israel Against Democracy.’” Coalition of Women for Peace, December 8, 2010. https://coalitionofwomen.org/article/138.
  50. “New CWP Report, ‘All-Out War: Israel Against Democracy.’” Coalition of Women for Peace, December 8, 2010. https://coalitionofwomen.org/article/138.
  51. Berger, Yotam. “Shin Bet Detains Israeli Peace Activist at Ben-Gurion Airport in Unusual Incident.” Haaretz.com. Haaretz Newspaper, May 31, 2018. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/shin-bet-detains-israeli-peace-activist-at-ben-gurion-airport-1.6137299.
  52. Berger, Yotam. “Shin Bet Detains Israeli Peace Activist at Ben-Gurion Airport in Unusual Incident.” Haaretz.com. Haaretz Newspaper, May 31, 2018. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/shin-bet-detains-israeli-peace-activist-at-ben-gurion-airport-1.6137299.
  53. Berger, Yotam. “Shin Bet Detains Israeli Peace Activist at Ben-Gurion Airport in Unusual Incident.” Haaretz.com. Haaretz Newspaper, May 31, 2018. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/shin-bet-detains-israeli-peace-activist-at-ben-gurion-airport-1.6137299.
  54. Berger, Yotam. “Shin Bet Detains Israeli Peace Activist at Ben-Gurion Airport in Unusual Incident.” Haaretz.com. Haaretz Newspaper, May 31, 2018. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/shin-bet-detains-israeli-peace-activist-at-ben-gurion-airport-1.6137299.
  55. Berger, Yotam. “Shin Bet Detains Israeli Peace Activist at Ben-Gurion Airport in Unusual Incident.” Haaretz.com. Haaretz Newspaper, May 31, 2018. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/shin-bet-detains-israeli-peace-activist-at-ben-gurion-airport-1.6137299.
  56. “Publications.” Coalition of Women for Peace -, March 13, 2019. https://coalitionofwomen.org/category/7.
  57. “The Nonviolent Struggle – An Approach That Troubles Israel ,” March 13, 2019. https://coalitionofwomen.org/article/317.
  58. “The Nonviolent Struggle – An Approach That Troubles Israel ,” March 13, 2019. https://coalitionofwomen.org/article/317.
  59. “50 Israeli Civil Society Organizations to the Knesset: Halt Legislation of Anti-BDS Bill.” Coalition of Women for Peace, February 6, 2011. https://coalitionofwomen.org/article/1.
  60. “50 Israeli Civil Society Organizations to the Knesset: Halt Legislation of Anti-BDS Bill.” Coalition of Women for Peace, February 6, 2011. https://coalitionofwomen.org/article/1.
  61. Bob, Yonah Jeremy. “Report: BDS Blacklist under Review by UN Body Will Harm Palestinians.” The Jerusalem Post , January 28, 2019. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/report-bds-blacklist-under-review-by-un-body-will-harm-palestinians-578567.
  62. Bob, Yonah Jeremy. “Report: BDS Blacklist under Review by UN Body Will Harm Palestinians.” The Jerusalem Post , January 28, 2019. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/report-bds-blacklist-under-review-by-un-body-will-harm-palestinians-578567.
  63. Bob, Yonah Jeremy. “Report: BDS Blacklist under Review by UN Body Will Harm Palestinians.” The Jerusalem Post , January 28, 2019. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/report-bds-blacklist-under-review-by-un-body-will-harm-palestinians-578567.
  64. “History of CWP.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/4.
  65. “History of CWP.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/4.
  66. “History of CWP.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/4.
  67. “Coalition of Women for Peace Financial Statements.” Coalition of Women for Peace. ] December 31, 2017. Accessed at

    https://coalitionofwomen.org/storage/uploads/ZSiM7Nh9BFgR7UHaXg2U1h8F0KYaCJh0vHkA353i.pdf

  68. “Our Partners.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/3.
  69. “Our Partners.” Coalition of Women for Peace. Accessed June 7, 2020. https://coalitionofwomen.org/page/3.
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