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WILPF Urgent Response in Palestine

WILPF is deeply saddened at the ongoing and escalating loss of life in Palestine and Israel, which take place in the context of ongoing Israeli occupation, war crimes and impunity. We denounce all attacks against civilians by all parties. Indiscriminate attacks on civilians are a crime under international law and cannot be justified.

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  • 7 min
WILPF International Secretariat
16 October 2023

Amid the ongoing and escalating loss of life in Palestine and Israel, which occurs in the context of the Israeli occupation, war crimes, and impunity, we denounce attacks against civilians by all parties. We reiterate all the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and stress the critical need to address the root causes of violence and oppression.

WILPF urgently calls for an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages and arbitrary detainees, and an end to the root causes of violence and oppression. We call upon member states and the UN to demand Israel’s strict adherence to international law, as well as the lifting of the Gaza siege, the reinstatement of aid to Palestinians, the initiation of a UN-brokered peace process, and the discontinuation of support for Israel’s occupation and apartheid regime.

Read the full statement

Take Action!

In an attempt to support  your efforts to mobilise in response to the unfolding situation, we want to share with you some resources and guidance on what you can do to help stop the ongoing atrocities and loss of life, support demands for a just and sustainable peace, and act in solidarity with Palestinians:

  • Countering disinformation and influencing the narrative: In light of the concerning reports of disinformation and the spread of false narratives of the conflict, we are sharing with you a set of resources to help ensure that we all have access to accurate and reliable information. (see list under)
  • Amplify Palestinian voices and demands: By sharing first hand testimonies, demands and supporting grass-root organising, we can amplify the voices of those most impacted by the violence and injustice.
  • Join mobilisations in your own country whenever it is safe and secure: 
    • Ask for the protection of civilian lives by joining mobilisations and doing actions and campaigns that are relevant locally. 
    • Support actions that help end complicity in Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians such as calls for and applications of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel, check the BDS movement → URGENT ACTION ALERT for meaningful support for Palestinians
    • Advocate for your government, local councils and EU agencies in your country to hold Israel accountable, including through imposition of economic sanctions, incremental restrictive measures, ban on arms trade, restrictions on individuals and companies involved in the settlements, and suspension of all security cooperation and free trade agreements with Israel.
  • Donate and share donation campaigns to support the victims:
  • Let us know what reliable sources you are reading, what actions you are taking, what statement, demands and voices you think should be amplified and what campaigns should be supported. Sources and campaigns in your own languages and from your own contexts are important. We want to know and amplify a global response against war crimes, occupation and impunity. You can reach out to us at membership@wilpf.org or connect through our social media platforms.

List of Trusted Sources

Media outlets
Trustful Palestinian Sources on Twitter:
Trustful Sources on Instagram: 

In English

In Arabic

In Spanish

 Palestinahoy

Read statements and appeals of local Palestinian movements and international campaigns/organisations: 

If you have any additional sources to contribute or wish to participate in the dissemination of mobilisations and solidarity demonstrations taking place in your respective countries, please don’t hesitate to share them with us.

Other Sources of Background Content

WILPF has a long history of engagement in advocacy and solidarity actions for Palestine. In addition to the WILPF Palestine Section, this work is advanced through the International Secretariat’s MENA programme, the recently created Palestine campaign working group  and through Section initiatives such as the recent petition supported by WILPF Italy in defence of advocates for Palestinian rights, and the Middle East Peace & Justice Action Committee of WILPF US. For more information about WILPF’s work in Palestine, visit our dedicated webpage.

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WILPF International Secretariat

WILPF International Secretariat, with offices in Geneva and New York, liaises with the International Board and the National Sections and Groups for the implementation of WILPF International Programme, resolutions and policies as adopted by the International Congress. Under the direction of the Secretary-General, the Secretariat also provides support in areas of advocacy, communications, and financial operations.

Matt Mahmoudi

Matt Mahmoudi (he/him) is a lecturer, researcher, and organizer. He’s been leading the “Ban the Scan” campaign, Amnesty International’s research and advocacy efforts on banning facial recognition technologies and exposing their uses against racialized communities, from New York City to the occupied Palestinian territories.

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Hanne Peterson

Europe Alternate Regional Representative

More about Hanne Peterson coming soon.

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Diana María Salcedo López

VICE-PRESIDENT

Diana María Salcedo López holds a degree in Political Science from the National University of Colombia, a Master’s degree in Women’s, Gender and Citizenship Studies from the University of Barcelona, and a Master’s degree in Human Rights, the Rule of Law and Democratisation from the University of Alcalá de Henares in Madrid. A feminist and anti-militarist, she has a solid track record spanning two decades working as a consultant for non-governmental organisations, international cooperation agencies, the United Nations and state bodies in Colombia. 

Her work has focused on safeguarding women’s rights, incorporating a gender and intersectional perspective into public policy, strengthening the social fabric amongst women who are victims of the armed conflict, and consolidating local peace-building processes. 

She currently serves as director of the Colombian section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (LIMPAL Colombia), where she leads initiatives on issues such as feminist approaches to the energy transition, the protection of women human rights defenders, the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, and advocacy in international forums. She also represents the organisation on the Special Women’s Body for Monitoring the Peace Agreement and on the Intersectoral Commission on Security Guarantees for Women Human Rights Defenders and Women Leaders in Colombia. 

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Desirée Sterner

VICE-PRESIDENT

Desirée Sterner currently serves as President of the Swedish Section (IKFF), a role she has held since 2023. Her engagement with WILPF began at the grassroots level through the local branch in Lund/Malmö during her university years. Desirée brings a deep substantive understanding of WILPF’s core issues, rooted in academic training in gender, peace and security (LSE), war studies (Swedish Defence University), peace and conflict studies, and human rights (Lund University), combined with several years of practical advocacy, movement-building and organisational leadership work in Swedish civil society.  

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Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo

PRESIDENT

Sylvie Ndongmo, is a Cameroonian peacebuilder, feminist leader, civil society actor and Women, Peace and Security expert with over 30 years of experience in peacebuilding, mediation, and gender equality advocacy. She serves as International President of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and Executive Secretary of Women Peace Initiatives. She coordinates the Women and Youth Early Warning Monitoring Room in Cameroon and was recently appointed to the African Union Advisory Panel on Democratic Elections and Governance in Africa. Her work focuses on advancing women’s leadership, conflict prevention, and sustainable peace through feminist, inclusive, and intergenerational approaches.  

WILPF Afghanistan

In response to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and its targeted attacks on civil society members, WILPF Afghanistan issued several statements calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with Afghan people and ensure that their rights be upheld, including access to aid. The Section also published 100 Untold Stories of War and Peace, a compilation of true stories that highlight the effects of war and militarisation on the region. 

IPB Congress Barcelona

WILPF Germany (+Young WILPF network), WILPF Spain and MENA Regional Representative

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Demilitarisation

WILPF uses feminist analysis to argue that militarisation is a counter-productive and ill-conceived response to establishing security in the world. The more society becomes militarised, the more violence and injustice are likely to grow locally and worldwide.

Sixteen states are believed to have supplied weapons to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2020 with the US supplying 74 % of weapons, followed by Russia. Much of this equipment was left behind by the US military and is being used to inflate Taliban’s arsenal. WILPF is calling for better oversight on arms movement, for compensating affected Afghan people and for an end to all militarised systems.

Militarised masculinity

Mobilising men and boys around feminist peace has been one way of deconstructing and redefining masculinities. WILPF shares a feminist analysis on the links between militarism, masculinities, peace and security. We explore opportunities for strengthening activists’ action to build equal partnerships among women and men for gender equality.

WILPF has been working on challenging the prevailing notion of masculinity based on men’s physical and social superiority to, and dominance of, women in Afghanistan. It recognizes that these notions are not representative of all Afghan men, contrary to the publicly prevailing notion.

Feminist peace​

In WILPF’s view, any process towards establishing peace that has not been partly designed by women remains deficient. Beyond bringing perspectives that encapsulate the views of half of the society and unlike the men only designed processes, women’s true and meaningful participation allows the situation to improve.

In Afghanistan, WILPF has been demanding that women occupy the front seats at the negotiating tables. The experience of the past 20 has shown that women’s presence produces more sustainable solutions when they are empowered and enabled to play a role.