Standing Together’s Visit to Germany 

Last week, two inspiring activists from Standing Together—Amal Ghawi and Itamar Avneri— came to Berlin for several events during their two-week speaking tour of Germany, organized by ForumZFD. Their visit brought fresh perspectives on the ongoing conflict in Israel-Palestine and the role of international communities in supporting peace efforts.

Amal Ghawi, a Palestinian journalist, joined Standing Together following the events of October 7 and the outbreak of war. Her work focuses on the experiences of the Palestinian minority in Israel. Itamar Avneri, one of the organization’s co-founders and a city council member in Jaffa, Tel Aviv, has been a steadfast advocate for grassroots activism since Standing Together’s inception.

Their tour included several key events, starting with a panel discussion in Berlin titled “Collective Pathways to Peace”, co-hosted by Friends of Standing Together Berlin, RefoMoabit, Resilienzzentrum Moabit, ForumZFD, the New Israel Fund Germany, and ALLMEP. More than 120 people attended, engaging in an open and dynamic discussion.

When asked what role the German public can play in supporting peace, Itamar responded:
“If you want to pick a side, please, do it. By all means, do it forcefully. Pick the side of the people and not the side of warmongers.”

Amal reflected on the polarization she observed:
“I’ve realized here in Germany that people just want the assurance that they are right, that they are doing the right thing, standing on the right side. It’s more about them than the people in the region and there’s something really selfish about that.”

The discussion emphasized the importance of moving beyond ideological debates and focusing on human solidarity.

Another significant moment of their visit was a parliamentary breakfast at the Bundestag, hosted by MdB Anna Kassautzki (SPD). MPs and staffers from the Social Democratic Party, the Green Party, and the Christian Democratic Party attended. Amal and Itamar urged Germany to follow through on its G7 commitment to institutionalize support for civil society peacebuilding in Israel-Palestine, highlighting the need for long-term, coordinated efforts.

At the Freie Universität Berlin, Amal and Itamar spoke with around 100 students in a conversation moderated by Luisa Siemens, ALLMEP’s European Advocacy Manager. The dialogue was candid and thought-provoking, encouraging students to critically engage with the complexities of peacebuilding and conflict resolution.