Statement by IJV Halifax on some so-called Israeli “Peace Groups” 9 January, 2025

A question has arisen regarding the position of Independent Jewish Voices Halifax about several so-called “peace” groups in Israel, for example Peace Now, Standing Together and Women Wage Peace. Some of these organizations claim to champion peace and to involve Palestinians and Israeli Jews in dialogue and coexistence.

Unqualified support for such groups is problematic. At worst, they normalize Israeli apartheid, the occupation, and, by extension, the current genocide.

By a democratic vote of its members, Independent Jewish Voices Canada has self-declared as an explicitly anti-Zionist organization. We condemn and oppose Zionism as an ideology of Jewish supremacy, as we condemn and oppose all forms of racial, ethnic and religious supremacy. The current genocide being waged by Israel is a logical outcome of this ideology.

From its earliest days, IJV has championed the campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS). The BDS campaign promotes the withdrawal of Israel from the occupied territories, removal of the separation barrier in the West Bank, full equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel, and "respecting, protecting, and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties."

In matters regarding Israeli “peace” groups, IJV has taken cues from the Palestinian Boycott National Committee (BNC). The BNC distinguishes between, on the one hand, “co-existence” which falsely assumes non-existing equality between Israelis and Palestinians and allows Israeli apartheid and ethnic cleansing to continue, and, on the other hand, “co-resistance,” which forcefully opposes the roots of Zionism.

After fifteen months of wholesale slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, with an official death count of almost 46,000, many more than 100,000 injured, and the destruction of homes, schools and hospitals, the promotion of peace through dialogue and co-existence has become a cruel joke.

In our collective despair amid the current crisis, we all seek signs of hope. Unfortunately, while some in these “peace groups” may have good intentions, their efforts often can and do contribute to the normalization (making tolerable) of an intolerable regime. We will continue to evaluate each of these organizations on an individual basis.