Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Foundation has ended its relationship with US-based Muslim organisation after its founder used the slogan “From the river to the sea” and described Israel as an “apartheid state”.
The Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition (MMWC), which received two grants totalling nearly £42,000 from the foundation, was informed it would no longer receive support following an inquiry by US broadcaster NewsNation.
The coalition, led by Palestinian-American Janan Najeeb, had thanked the Archewell Foundation for its support in 2023, stating on its website: “With your support, in 2023, we took swift and impactful action in response to the war on Gaza. Our efforts, alongside other Wisconsin-based organisations, aimed to raise awareness and demand human rights for Palestinians.”
In a 2024, Najeeb wrote: “Israel’s 75-year occupation of Palestine and the genocide in Gaza are a grave injustice. We demand a permanent ceasefire, an end to arming the apartheid state of Israel and the liberation of Palestine. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever!”
A source from Archewell told NewsNation, “We were not aware of this before you told us and are grateful you raised this with us.”
Photo Credit: Archewell Foundation
In a letter addressed to Najeeb, Archewell executives James Holt and Shauna Nep said: “Janan, we’ve recently been notified of a blog post you wrote that goes against the values of the foundation. As a foundation, we celebrate different perspectives and backgrounds, but we have zero tolerance for hateful words, actions or propaganda.
“When we started the welcome project, we did so to support Afghan women in finding community, and we are proud of the work we have done to support women in Milwaukee. We remain committed to fostering partnerships that reflect and reinforce the values our foundation stands for.
“We will be removing MWC from our network effective as of today. At this time, the foundation will be making no additional grants to MMWC.”
The Archewell Foundation, named after the Sussexes’ son Archie, was founded in 2020 to “uplift and unite communities” through philanthropy and advocacy.
