“PEACE CAN ONLY COME WRAPPED IN THE ISRAELI FLAG:” NAVIGATING MULTIPLE FRAMES IN AN INTERSECTIONAL WOMEN’S PEACE MOVEMENT*
This study delves into the intricate process of integrating intersectional practices within social movements, focusing on the challenges of balancing multiple frames in the context of women’s activism. Based on the case study of the Israeli women-led peace movement Women Wage Peace (WWP) and using semistructured interviews within an ethnographic approach, this research explores WWP’s evolving framing strategy. This study critically examines whether and how two frames, namely peace and intersectionality, can be aligned within one movement’s framing strategy. In the case of WWP, this attempt resulted in the emergence of identity hierarchies and shifts in movement goals, which ultimately led to abandoning the intersectional frame in favor of conventional motherhood tropes, a traditionally homogenous membership base, and a focus on crossborder cooperation. This shift underscores the complex dynamics at play when women’s movements and social movements at large attempt to incorporate intersectionality into their framing strategies.
Contributor Notes
* I would like to sincerely thank my advisors, Prof. Orna Sasson-Levy and Dr. Gilly Hartal, for their invaluable guidance and Dr. Liv Halperin and Ambreen Ben-Shmuel for their collegial feedback and support. I am also grateful to the participants of the research article workshop in 2023 organized by my advisor, Dr. Gilly Hartal, who helped me navigate earlier drafts. I am thankful for the reviewers’ intelligent feedback and the supportive guidance of the journal editor. I am indebted to the tireless efforts of women pursuing peace in this region and sharing their stories with me.
The research at hand predates the events following October 7, 2023, which dramatically altered the political landscape and, consequently, the role and activities of peace movements, such as WWP, the subject of this study. One of the women I had the privilege of interviewing was killed by Hamas terrorists in her home close to the Gaza border. I am dedicating this article to her and her tireless peace efforts for this region. With no end to the ongoing, devastating war in sight, I can only hope that giving visibility to this kind of women’s activism will shed light on and support women’s resistance in this part of the world.