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Palestine

WILPF Welcomes New Report on the Economy of Genocide 

On 30 June, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, released a new report investigating the corporate machinery sustaining Israel’s settler colonial project of occupation, apartheid and genocide. WILPF welcomes this report, for which it made a submission and delivered a statement in support of, to the Human Rights Council.

Protesters hold signs reading “ARMS EMBARGO ON ISRAEL,” “STOP ARMING ISRAEL,” and “RESISTANCE JUSTIFIED WHEN PEOPLE ARE OCCUPIED” in front of the White House. The image is in black and white.
Image credit: WILPF
  • 7 min
WILPF International
11 July 2025

In her recent report, From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide (30 June 2025), Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese exhaustively details the corporate complicity in Israel’s occupation, apartheid and ongoing genocide of Palestinians. The report demonstrates how companies have: 

  • provided weapons and machines to destroy homes, schools, hospitals, markets and more
  • purchased land to dispossess and displace Palestinians;  
  • provided surveillance equipment to segregate and control communities;  
  • stifled the Palestinian economy by turning it into a captured market and exploiting labour and resources;
  • and channelled money into the illegal occupation. 

The report’s framing acknowledges that colonialism and genocide “have historically been driven and enabled by the corporate sector,” and that “commercial interests have contributed to the dispossession of Indigenous people of their lands.” This model is replicated by Israel through its colonisation of Palestinian lands and its institutionalisation of apartheid, and now its overt actions of ethnic cleansing and genocide.

The report also identifies how universities “have sustained the political ideology underpinning the colonization of Palestinian land, developed weaponry and overlooked or even endorsed systemic violence.” 

WILPF welcomes this report, for which it made a submission and delivered a statement in support of, to the Human Rights Council.   

Profit over peace 

Since its founding in 1915, WILPF has consistently illustrated how systems of state violence and militarism giving rise to conflict are rooted in capitalism, racism and patriarchy. Consequently, private profit is prioritised over peace and justice. To end conflict, we must divest from war and instead invest in people and the planet. 

WILPF fully agrees with the Special Rapporteur that to end corporate complicity in occupation and genocide, we must hold the private sector accountable. The evidence connecting their continued technological, logistical, intelligence and financial support to Israel to commit international crimes has been documented, verified, and broadcast in real time for over 18 months.

The Special Rapporteur’s report highlights many complicit weapon companies by name, including Elbit Systems (Israel), FANUC Corporation (Japan), Israeli Aerospace Industries (Israel), Leonardo (Italy), and Lockheed Martin (USA). It also highlights the role of Danish shipping company Maersk in facilitating the steady flow of military equipment to Israel—a company that has been exposed and challenged by the Palestinian Youth Movement through its Mask Off Maersk campaign.  

The report also notes that the repression and genocide of Palestinians has become progressively automated. Tech companies have provided surveillance infrastructure, drones, biometrics, cloud computing and AI-driven targeting systems while also profitting “from the unique testing ground for military technology offered by the occupied Palestinian territory.” The report specifically names Alphabet/Google (USA), Amazon (USA), Hewlett Packard (USA), IBM (USA), Microsoft (USA), the NSO Group (Israel) and Palantir Technologies (USA). 

WILPF has long opposed all of these companies, which have profited from war and entrenched the political economy of militarism in the countries where they manufacture their machines of violence. WILPF has also opposed the increasing militarisation of technology from tech start-ups and Big Tech firms alike, warning that the rise of this “new” military-industrial complex is only leading to further global catastrophe.

It is no coincidence that immediately after the report’s release, the US government imposed sanctions on the Special Rapporteur — only now that she has released a report that implicates the profit making of many of its companies. In its announcement of sanctions, the US government referred to Albanese’s work as “campaigns of political and economic warfare” against the United States’ national interests. Once again, the US government shows that it is prioritising profit for CEOs and corporations, and has no interest in fulfilling its international legal obligation to prevent genocide. 

Arms embargo now 

In November 2023, WILPF, together with Al-Haq, the International Service for Human Rights, and over 170 other organisations, issued an urgent call for a comprehensive two-way arms embargo on Israel. Today, WILPF reiterates that call, and urges States and corporations to end their complicity in human rights violations and international crimes and to immediately implement all recommendations made by the Special Rapporteur in this new report. 

Continuing to provide military support and other forms of assistance to Israel constitutes a clear violation of international law, including the obligation of States not to aid or assist internationally wrongful acts. It is legally indefensible. And it is morally unconscionable. States and corporations must not be allowed to choose which genocides they can profit from with impunity.  

The Special Rapporteur’s report clearly shows that Israel’s genocide continues “because it is lucrative for many.” The occupation of Palestine “has become the ideal testing ground for arms manufacturers and big tech—providing boundless supply and demand, little oversight and zero accountability—while investors and private and public institutions profit freely.” This must end now. 

WILPF fully supports all the recommendations in the report, including: 

  • To impose sanctions and a full arms embargo on Israel, including all existing agreements and dual-use items such as technology and civilian heavy machinery; 
  • To promptly cease all business activities and terminate relationships directly linked with, contributing to and causing human rights violations and international crimes against the Palestinian people, in accordance with international corporate responsibilities and the law of self-determination; 
  • To pay reparations to the Palestinian people;  
  • To investigate and prosecute corporate executives and/or corporate entities for their part in the commission of international crimes and laundering of the proceeds from those crimes; and 
  • To press for boycotts, divestments, sanctions and justice for Palestine and accountability at international and domestic levels. 

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WILPF International

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.

Berit Aasen

Europe Alternate Regional Representative

Berit Aasen is a sociologist by training and has worked at the OsloMet Metropolitan University on Oslo. She has 40 years of experience in research and consultancy in development studies, including women, peace, and security, and in later years in asylum and refugee studies. Berit Aasen joined WILPF Norway five years ago. She is an alternate member of the National Board of WILPF Norway, and representing WILPF Norway in the UN Association of Norway, the Norwegian 1325 network and the Norwegian Women’s Lobby. Berit Aasen has been active in the WILPF European Liaison group and is committed to strengthening WILPF sections and membership both in Europe and relations across continents.

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Melissa Torres

VICE-PRESIDENT

Prior to being elected Vice-President, Melissa Torres was the WILPF US International Board Member from 2015 to 2018. Melissa joined WILPF in 2011 when she was selected as a Delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women as part of the WILPF US’ Practicum in Advocacy Programme at the United Nations, which she later led. She holds a PhD in Social Work and is a professor and Global Health Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine and research lead at BCM Anti-Human Trafficking Program. Of Mexican descent and a native of the US/Mexico border, Melissa is mostly concerned with the protection of displaced Latinxs in the Americas. Her work includes training, research, and service provision with the American Red Cross, the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Centre, and refugee resettlement programs in the U.S. Some of her goals as Vice-President are to highlight intersectionality and increase diversity by fostering inclusive spaces for mentorship and leadership. She also contributes to WILPF’s emerging work on the topic of displacement and migration.

Jamila Afghani

VICE-PRESIDENT

Jamila Afghani is the President of WILPF Afghanistan which she started in 2015. She is also an active member and founder of several organisations including the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organisation (NECDO). Elected in 2018 as South Asia Regional Representative to WILPF’s International Board, WILPF benefits from Jamila’s work experience in education, migration, gender, including gender-based violence and democratic governance in post-conflict and transitional countries.

A woman in a blue, black, and white dress smiles radiantly in front of a leafy green background.

Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo

PRESIDENT

Sylvie Jacqueline NDONGMO is a human rights and peace leader with over 27 years experience including ten within WILPF. She has a multi-disciplinary background with a track record of multiple socio-economic development projects implemented to improve policies, practices and peace-oriented actions. Sylvie is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and was the Section’s president until 2022. She co-coordinated the African Working Group before her election as Africa Representative to WILPF’s International Board in 2018. A teacher by profession and an African Union Trainer in peace support operations, Sylvie has extensive experience advocating for the political and social rights of women in Africa and worldwide.

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.