Women in Black

This page is subject to the extended confirmed restriction related to the Arab-Israeli conflict.Women in Black (Hebrew: נשים בשחור, romanized: Nashim BeShahor) is a women's anti-war movement with an estimated 10,000 activists around the world.

[1] Responding to what they considered serious violations of human rights by Israeli soldiers in the Occupied Territories, the women held a vigil every Friday in central Jerusalem, wearing black clothing in mourning for all victims of the conflict.

The number dwindled sharply after the Oslo Agreement in 1993, when it seemed that peace with the Palestinians was at hand, and picked up again when violent events proved that hope to have been premature.

[3] While each group is free to pursue its own goals and activities, the women maintain regular contact via e-mail and the Internet, and hold annual international conferences.

Their most common tactic consists of standing together periodically in various public places, usually in complete silence unless pedestrians ask questions, which at times escalate into full-fledged arguments.