Documents Prove “Creative Community for Peace” is Front for Right Wing Israel Lobby Group “StandWithUs”



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 4, 2018

Contact: Shalva Wise, 614.330.0741, shalva@jvp.org



Documentation goes public same day as group’s elite Hollywood gala

Los Angeles, CA: Despite their history of denying the accusations, registration and tax documents now show that the Los Angeles-based entertainment industry lobby organization Creative Community for Peace (CCFP) and Israeli government-linked StandWithUs are simply alternate names for a single IRS-registered non-profit: Israel Emergency Alliance.

A thoroughly researched fact sheet explaining CCFP’s covert right wing agenda has just been released by a coalition of organizations (Jewish Voice for Peace, Adalah-NY, PACBI) that are part of the global, Palestinian-led BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement for Palestinian rights. Inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, the Nobel Peace Prize-nominated BDS movement is a nonviolent means of applying pressure on Israel to end its crimes and apartheid regime against Palestinians.

In a leaked 2017 report, CCFP had described intersectionality (which identifies how interlocking systems of power impact those who are most marginalized and oppressed) and international grassroots solidarity between Palestinian rights groups and other political movements – such as Black Lives Matter (BLM) and feminist groups – as a “troubling and growing trend.”

Pointing out that “SWU and CCFP regularly echo the Israeli government’s racist positions, dehumanizing all Palestinians,” the fact sheet includes legal and media documentation of CCFP’s manipulations of celebrities and other entertainment industry figures.

This information is going public the same day as CCFP’s inaugural “Ambassadors of Peace” gala, which declares itself “the premier event in Hollywood celebrating artistic freedom and the pursuit of peace,” and boasts “a VIP guest list of over 200 top industry executives.” But while CCFP’s gala applauds industry executives, a growing number of high profile artists are taking courageous public stands against Israel’s repression of Palestinian rights. These include Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Tunde Adebimpe, Peter Gabriel, Lauryn Hill, Talib Kweli, Danny Glover, Viggo Mortensen and Mark Ruffalo.

The new fact sheet also shows that CCFP is no supporter of racial and social justice. A key SWU partner is Christians United for Israel (CUFI), headed by the homophobic, racist, and sexist pastor John Hagee.

CCFP lobbies artists to perform in Israel as advocates for “artistic expression, peace and understanding.” The newly released fact sheet clarifies SWU and CCFP‘s partnership with Israel’s hard-line, anti-Palestinian government.

Shalva Wise, Arts & Culture Coordinator from Jewish Voice for Peace, stated: “Artists who oppose racism and support justice for all people should steer clear of CCFP’s anti-Palestinian lobbying and propaganda efforts.”

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* Content from CCFP’s leaked report available upon request