Israeli Peace Now

Israeli Peace Now is an Israeli non-governmental organization advocating for a negotiated resolution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and for territorial compromise consistent with aspects of the Oslo Accords and a two-state outcome. Originating in the late 1970s amid debates over Camp David Accords implementation and the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War, the organization has engaged in public campaigns, legal actions, and monitoring of Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Peace Now positions itself as part of an array of Israeli civil society actors, alongside groups such as B'Tselem, Gush Shalom, and Be Free Israel, that influence public discourse, judicial review, and parliamentary debate in the Knesset.

History

Peace Now began after a mass 1978 demonstration in Tel Aviv that followed Menachem Begin’s premiership debates and the signing climate around the Camp David Accords; founders included journalists and activists who had been involved in earlier movements around Uri Avnery and Shalom Achshav figures. The organization formalized through networks tied to activists from the 1967 Six-Day War aftermath and the 1973 Yom Kippur War veteran community, situating itself against the expansionist policies promoted by factions in Likud and some groups linked to the Gush Emunim settlement movement. In the 1980s and 1990s, Peace Now gained visibility during the First Intifada and the negotiation of the Oslo Accords, engaging with counterparts in the Palestine Liberation Organization and international actors such as the European Union and United Nations envoys. The organization’s settlement monitoring program expanded after the 1993 Oslo I Accord and notably during the tenure of Ariel Sharon, whose 2005 disengagement from Gaza Strip shifted strategic debates. Over subsequent decades, Peace Now adapted to judicial opportunities presented by the Supreme Court of Israel and electoral shifts when Benjamin Netanyahu returned to prime ministerial leadership.

Organization and Structure

Peace Now operates as a membership-based NGO with a board of directors, staff, and volunteer networks concentrated in urban centers including Tel Aviv and branches active in municipal contexts like Jerusalem and regional councils adjacent to the West Bank. Its organizational model mixes advocacy units, legal teams that litigate at the Israeli High Court of Justice, and research departments producing reports utilized by journalists at outlets such as Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, and international media including The New York Times and BBC News. Governance includes elected leadership accountable to members and donor constituencies from philanthropic institutions and foundations linked to civil society funding in Europe and North America. The group collaborates with like-minded organizations, informal advocacy coalitions, and parliamentary allies in the Labor Party and Meretz.

Political Positions and Campaigns

Peace Now advocates for a negotiated settlement based on withdrawal from territories captured in the 1967 Six-Day War and supports the creation of a sovereign Palestinian entity alongside Israel, referencing frameworks like the Clinton Parameters and peace initiatives discussed in the Madrid Conference. The organization campaigns against expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank—criticizing plans advanced by settler organizations and political actors connected to Gush Emunim and elements within Likud—and has called for recognition of Palestinian statehood in international fora such as the United Nations General Assembly. Peace Now has opposed unilateral annexation proposals debated during the Trump administration’s promotion of the Deal of the Century and engaged in voter mobilization campaigns around Knesset elections to influence parties in the Right-Wing and Center-Left blocs. It also lobbies for legislation affecting land-use, settlement legalization, and municipal boundaries with appeals to members of Knesset across parties.

Activities and Methods

Operational tactics combine public demonstrations in squares linked to historic protests in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, strategic litigation before the Supreme Court of Israel, and publication of investigative reports documenting settlement growth, land registration, and outpost legalization processes. Peace Now maintains databases and cartographic analyses used by journalists from Haaretz, researchers at universities such as Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University, and international analysts at think tanks including International Crisis Group and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The group organizes delegations to European parliaments, meetings with diplomats from United States Department of State officials, and partnerships with Palestinian civil society organizations including The Palestinian Center for Human Rights and networks active during the Second Intifada. Digital campaigns leverage social media platforms and petitions directed at policymakers in the Knesset and the Prime Minister's Office.

Controversies and Criticism

Peace Now has been criticized by settler movements, right-wing parties such as Likud and Yamina, and organizations like Im Tirtzu for allegedly undermining national security narratives and for accepting foreign funding from European institutions, which critics claim creates external influence over domestic policy. The organization has faced legal and political challenges related to its publication of names of donors and reporting on private land transactions; opponents have accused it of facilitating prosecutions or of bias toward international mediation efforts, citing tensions with figures associated with Moshe Feiglin and Avigdor Lieberman. Supporters argue the group’s use of the High Court of Justice advances rule-of-law oversight, while detractors point to clashes with municipal authorities in Ma'ale Adumim and outpost communities established after the 1992 Oslo Process. Periodic security incidents and threats against activists have intensified debates over civil liberties, foreign funding transparency statutes debated in the Knesset, and the broader role of NGOs in shaping Israeli policy toward the Palestinian National Authority and regional actors including Egypt and Jordan.

Category:Political organizations based in Israel