Dear Friend,
Last night, on International Women’s Day, 35 women from Israel, Palestine, and around the world gathered on Zoom for a simple but meaningful purpose: to create a space to speak to one another from the heart in the midst of another unnecessary war.
Even though we were scattered across different places and realities, the hour quickly filled with a sense of trust and connection. Women spoke openly about the realities they face and about their determination to keep choosing nonviolence at a time when violence feels overwhelming. What emerged most strongly was a sense of togetherness, partnership, and even sisterhood among women who rarely have the chance to share the same space, even virtually.
Several moments from the conversation stayed with us. One Palestinian participant shared the story of a struggle to protect land in the Makhrour valley in 2024, when women insisted they would lead the nonviolent resistance. Although the men in the team were hesitant at first, the women stood firm, and the community eventually followed their lead. Another Israeli participant reflected on the story of Esther, read during the Jewish holiday of Purim, and how her courage to step forward and take responsibility changed the course of history. Across cultures and traditions, the message felt familiar: when women lead with courage and conviction, they can shift the direction of events.
This kind of leadership is not new. During the Second Intifada, women’s groups across Israeli and Palestinian society sustained dialogue, supported families, documented abuses, and kept nonviolent organizing alive when many others had given up. Women in this region have long navigated the realities of occupation, militarization, and unequal power, often carrying the consequences of conflict while having little influence over the decisions that produce it. Their leadership in peacebuilding is a necessary challenge to the systems of domination and injustice that continue to shape this conflict.
War is the result of political decisions, choices made overwhelmingly by men in positions of power, often without the voices, perspectives, or leadership of women. Too often, those decisions lead us exactly where we are today: deeper into cycles of escalation and violence. The photos below show a different reality - Palestinian and Israeli women within Combatants for Peace leading efforts on the ground and bringing their communities with them.
