Overview

Canadian Friends of Peace Now (CFPN) is a partner organization to Peace Now (Shalom Achshav), Israel’s pre-eminent peace movement. We support the agenda of Peace Now in Israel and raise awareness in Canada of the need for a viable and durable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Peace Now, and CFPN, are dedicated to promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace on the basis of a two-state solution – that is, a negotiated agreement leading to a viable Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel and an end of conflict.

A registered Canadian charity, CFPN provides tax receipts to donors for their contributions.

History

Peace Now/Shalom Achshav was formed in 1978, during a moment when peace talks between Israel and Egypt seemed precarious. At that time 348 reserve officers and soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces petitioned their government not to lose a chance for peace with Egypt. Tens of thousands of Israelis supported their position and the Peace Now movement was born.

Soon Peace Now turned its attention to the conflict with the Palestinians. It became convinced that the only solution was the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, occupied by Israel as a result of the 1967 war. To assure the possibility of two states, Peace Now began its protest against the growth of Jewish settlements in the occupied territories.

A leading force of the Zionist peace camp, Peace Now stands for Israel’s security, democracy and peaceful co-existence with its neighbours. It’s activities include advocacy, public education and monitoring and protesting West Bank settlement expansion and, of late, the right-wing agenda to annex parts of the West Bank.

Canadian Friends of Peace Now was founded in the early 1980s and soon grew to three chapters – in Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa. Since those early days we have pursued the dual mission of supporting Peace Now in Israel and promoting the movement’s messages in Canada.

CFPN is one of a number of Peace Now partner organizations. Others are in the U.S., France, Britain, and South America.

Where We Stand

Where we stand - Peace Now Canada
  • We support  the values on which the state of Israel  was created, as enshrined in its Declaration of Independence:

    “The State of Israel…will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace …; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.”

  • We are for Israel’s security, democracy and Jewish character and its right to exist as a Jewish homeland within internationally recognized borders.
  • We also support a viable Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, living in peace and security alongside Israel.
  • We vigorously oppose the creation and expansion of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Settlements are an impediment to peace, undermining the two-state solution and Israel’s long-term security. The settlements force Israel to rule over a large, disenfranchised Palestinian population, contrary to the state’s core democratic values and international law.
  • We recognize that neither Israelis nor Palestinians will give up their desire for self-determination in a state of their own – and neither should be expected to do so. Therefore, we assert that both Israelis and Palestinians will have to make painful compromises and give up maximal demands. The two states will have to be based on the 1967 Green Line, with any changes achieved through mutually agreed-upon land swaps.
  • We acknowledge that these painful compromises will require: 1) that an answer to the Palestinian refugee issue will have to be found largely outside the borders of the State of Israel; and 2) that Jerusalem would have to be the capital for both states, on the basis of demographic breakdowns, with a special status for the Old City.
  • We believe both sides share blame for the current stalemate. Palestinians have rejected opportunities for a reasonable compromise (particularly during negotiations in 2000 and 2008). Israel has laid roadblocks to peace through its settlement program and, in recent years, opposition to the two-state solution by successive right-wing governments. We call for brave leadership from both sides. 
  • We warn that Israeli political leaders who endorse unilateral annexation over portions of the occupied West Bank are proposing a flagrant violation of international law, the trampling of the rights of Palestinians and the gross endangerment of Israel’s future as a secure, democratic homeland of the Jewish people.
  • We believe that the only alternative to the two-state solution is prolonged violence and bloodshed.

Activities – Canada

Activities - Canada

CFPN’s vibrant program of public events enables prominent guest speakers to share different historical and political perspectives with the Jewish community and the wider public in Canada.

Speakers have included highly respected academics, authors, security experts, human rights advocates, diplomats, politicians, journalists and others – from Israel, the Palestinian territories, Canada, the U.S. and other countries. CFPN has also shown ground-breaking films that shed light on the complexities of Israeli-Palestinian relations and present courageous attempts to build bridges between the two peoples. (For examples, see the “Past Events” page of this website.)

In April 2020, because of COVID-19, we began a series of informative webinars with influential guests in lieu of live events. The webinars are also recorded and posted on YouTube for later viewing. (Links are provided on our website. See “Past Webinars”).

CFPN’s events have been co-sponsored by Jewish institutions such as Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist synagogues, ARZA Canada, JSpaceCanada, the New Israel Fund of Canada, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), Na’amat Canada, Hillel and the Toronto Jewish Book Fair.

The organization’s newsletter, PeaceMatters, presents a wide range of interviews, feature articles and opinion pieces on peace-building developments and obstacles.

We encourage the Canadian government to adopt policies that support peacemaking between Israelis and Palestinians and to oppose barriers to peace. To this end we voice our views to government leaders, Members of Parliament and government officials. We also conduct briefings for Canada’s Department of Global Affairs and MPs to acquaint them better with the Israeli peace camp.

We maintain an active, engaged presence on social media, such as Facebook and Twitter.

In addition, we conduct regular fundraising activities such as telethons and mail and email appeals to support our educational programs in Israel and in Canada.

Activities – Israel

Peace Now’s flagship Settlement Watch Program monitors and protests the building of Jewish enclaves beyond the 1967 borders of Israel. The project’s aerial and ground data are regarded as an authoritative source of information by the public, the media, and foreign governments. Peace Now contends that continued occupation and settlement building in the Palestinian territories damages the entire fabric of Israeli society – its security, democracy, and moral and economic well being.

The importance of [Peace Now’s] Settlement Watch work cannot be exaggerated” Dennis Ross, Chief U.S. Middle East Negotiator, 1997

Peace Now holds regular demonstrations  to protest encroachments on Palestinian lands, the demolition of Palestinian homes, incitement against progressive organizations, and unjust laws and policies. The organization also conducts court challenges against illegal government policies and actions. In addition, Peace Now’s public campaigns raise awareness of the issues among Israelis and mobilize support for the two-state solution.

Peace Now engages Israeli youth through seminars, online dialogue projects, workshops and more. As part of this effort, Peace Now delivers educational activities in Israel on behalf of CFPN.

Activities – Canada/Israel

Emil Grunzweig Fellowship Award

Building the next generation of the peace camp

Through its flagship program – the Emil Grunzweig Fellowship Award (EGFA) – Canadian Friends of Peace Now helps boost the peace and democracy work of a new generation of young leaders in Israel. The program provides awards to outstanding student activists in recognition of their achievements and potential. As part of the program, recipients receive guidance from Peace Now and conduct activities on university campuses and elsewhere to increase support for a two-state solution among their peers. Youth talks to youth about the dangers of perpetual occupation, the importance of a robust democratic space in Israel, and the need for a two-state solution for Israel’s long-term future.

EGFA fellows form discussion groups or clubs on their campuses and lead awareness campaigns to promote peace and democracy building. Program funds help defray expenses for these activities, including the creation of educational materials. Fellows are chosen for their commitment to peace, their personal dynamism and their demonstrated ability to influence others.

Founded in 2018, the EGFA, honours the memory of Emil Grunzweig, a Peace Now activist who was murdered by a right-wing extremist while participating in a peace rally in 1983.