WILPF NEWS
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
East Bay and San Francisco Branches
Work to Advance Peace, Justice and Human Rights
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
Peace on Earth
Continue to Press for a Permanent Ceasefire in the Gaza-Israel War
In an emergency session on Tuesday, the U.N. General Assembly voted 154 to 10 to demand a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza in a strong demonstration of global support for ending the Israel/Hamas war. Sadly, the United States along with Israel was one of the 10 dissenting votes.
There are big implications for all of us here. The vote showed the growing international isolation of the United States and the Biden Administration for continuing to support the right-wing Netanyahu government. Similarly, a humanitarian ceasefire resolution was introduced last week in the U.N. Security Council. In that case, the United States was the only No vote, but could wield its veto power to defeat the will of the majority of nations.
As citizens of the United States, we must call upon our government to join with the vast majority of people around the world, and right here in the United States, by calling for the cessation of death and destruction in Gaza, and across all of Israel/Palestine.
But we can’t stop there. We know that the United States is unique among the nations of the world for the leverage that it has over the Israeli government, as Israel’s primary and most powerful ally, and as its most important supplier of weapons. We must call upon the Biden Administration to seize the moment, and do the right thing for all the people living in Greater Israel/Palestine: combine your support for a ceasefire with a demand for a new round of negotiations to achieve a lasting and just political settlement – one that will guarantee security for all Palestinians and Israelis, and full human and civil rights, self-determination, and land for the Palestinian people. (from letter by PDA 12/14/23)
Make your voice heard. Organize vigils, demonstrations, rallies and public actions to draw attention to the attacks in Gaza.
Continue to write letters to the White House and to your Senators andCongressional Representatives, urging them to do everything in their power to end Israel’s bombing of Gaza to protect innocent lives.
Donate to humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza to provide support and assistance to Palestinians facing the most need and vulnerability.
Until a permanent truce is established, we as members of WILPF must continue to press for a permanent ceasefire.
ANYTHING BUT YOUR TYPICAL WAR STORIES: IRAQ WAR VETERANS SHARE UGLY TRUTHS ABOUT THE MILITARY MACHINE AND PROVIDE TIPS ON BETTER EDUCATING TEENS CONSIDERING ENLISTING
Rosa del Duca, Eddie Falcon, Shiloh Emelein, Sandy Thacker, Roberta Stern
The Howard Zinn Book Fair is an annual celebration of People’s History, past present and future, bringing together authors, readers, organizers and community members to debate and discuss strategies for a better world. This year’s event with the theme “Against Amnesia” was held at the Mission Campus of San Francisco City College on Sunday, December 3rd. Members of our Before Enlisting Group hosted a workshop about our Counter Recruitment work in high schools and Community Colleges. Rosa del Duca organized the event. Veterans Eddie Falcon and Shiloh Emelein, and allies Sandy Thacker and Roberta Stern were on the panel. It was an interview format, with allies asking the two vets questions about their own lives and military careers, why they got involved with Before Enlisting, and what we do in classrooms to educate high school students about the realities of the military and military life, and about other, more peaceful alternatives for them to consider.
Billions of dollars is spent by the military every year just for recruitment. By sharing our stories and our lives, our mission is to inspire one student at a time to decide to work for peace instead of war.
We could use your financial support to compensate our veterans, maintain and expand our website https://www.beforeenlisting.org/ , and to produce informational materials to hand out to students. Please consider making a donation to help us continue this important work.
You can write a check, made out to Grandmothers Against War and mail to:
Before Enlisting
PO Box 13083
Oakland, CA 94661-008
Thank you very much and Happy Holidays!
That’s a Wrap on COP28!
WILPF International Secretariat 20 December 2023
That’s a wrap! Last week, COP28 came to a close in Dubai, United Arab Emirates after nearly two weeks of negotiations, talks, and actions to address the growing climate crisis. While some are touting COP28’s outcome as “historic,” and “the beginning of the end of fossil fuels,” the agreements open the door to unproven or harmful technologies such as carbon capture and storage, nuclear energy, and other false and neo-colonial solutions and loopholes. The failure to agree to a phase-out of fossil fuels also means a continued free ride for fossil-fuel powered militarisation.
A critical chance for WILPF to draw attention to the relationship between militarism, the climate crisis and gender issues, with a particular focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, we sent a delegation of five feminist peace activists — three of whom are from the MENA region — to advance key advocacy goals on these topics.
Here, we’re sharing an overview of COP28 key outcomes, some of our key advocacy achievements, how we got involved, highlights from the delegates, and more. For more information about our advocacy focus going into COP28, read our article WILPF at COP28: Everything You Need to Know.
Key Highlights of COP28 from a Feminist Peace Perspective
COP28 has been a COP of many firsts. It is the first COP that finally has recognised that fossil fuels are the root cause of the climate crisis, and that the world needs to “transition away” from them. It is also the first COP that had a thematic day of peace as part of the “Health, Relief, Recovery, and Peace” Day on 3 December, and COP28 saw unprecedented and persistent calls by the climate justice movement for peace and demilitarisation, with a genocide underway just a few thousand kilometres from the world’s largest climate summit.
EXPLORE WILPF TODAY
www.WILPFEastBay.org or www.WILPFSF.org
WILPF East Bay, P. O. Box 13083, Oakland, CA 94661
WILPF-SF, P. O. Box 590253, San Francisco, CA 94159
https://www.facebook.com/WILPFEastBaySanFrancisco/
Before Enlisting: https://www.BeforeEnlisting.org/
National WILPF www.wilpfus.org
International WILPF: www.wilpf.org