November-December-January Member Impact Summary

The past three months have seen many changes in the region, with a new government in Israel, the peacebuilding field has been successfully adapting to and changing with the times. From end-of-year annual reports to ad hoc responses to the latest violent escalation and threats by politicians, peacebuilding NGOs are demonstrating their vital work toward preventing escalation, disrupting racism and fear, and building a better alternative for Palestinians and Israelis alike. With a challenging year ahead, we are constantly inspired by the peacebuilding field’s ability to adapt and persevere in the face of obstacles, and to continue to fight for peace and equality for all. 

Some highlights in the last quarter:

• Israel and Jordan signed a new deal to cooperatively clean the Jordan River, an effort spearheaded by EcoPeace and the Joint Water Committee.  EcoPeace is a collective of Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian climate activists working towards a peaceful and ecologically minded future. EcoPeace notes that the agreement to rehabilitate the Jordan River is a critical climate adaptation measure that can help bring back 50% of the biodiversity lost because of decades of pollution and freshwater diversion.
• Standing Together and other activist groups with a focus on conflict resolution have organized large contingents of the weekly protests in Tel Aviv, in response to the new government’s policies, which continue to number in the many tens of thousands. Standing Together noted in a statement in January that ‘It is time to say in the clearest voice – this is the home of all of us, Jews and Arabs, women and men, LGBT and straight, ultra-Orthodox, religious and secular, residents of the periphery and the center. This is the time to fight for democracy, equality, social justice and peace. Fight for the home – for all of us.” 

• An affinity group of 14 NGOs focused on cross-border youth peacebuilding was founded with a meeting to troubleshoot anticipated obstacles for operating in schools in Israel, bringing Palestinians over the Green Line to meet Israelis, and tackling a general decline in cross-border beneficiaries. The gathering was hosted at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, and led by ALLMEP.  

• The unrecognized Bedouin village of Abu Queidar invited the Jewish families of youth participants of a girls’ Arab-Jewish sports camp that the Sports for Social Impact held back in the summer. The gesture represents how planned Jewish-Arab/Palestinian interactions at the individual level, such as a sports program, can have an influence at the communal level. This reunion event brought the participants and their families, including many with traditionally hardline positions on Bedouin, with most remarking how the program and the event profoundly changed them. After a tour of the village and a traditional Bedouin breakfast, the girls had a facilitated discussion about the differences between their world views and lived experiences, and how their engagement with one another may influence how they live in their own society. 

• Lissan celebrated their ten year anniversary. A decade ago, a group of women living in the Issawiya neighborhood in East Jerusalem approached female students from the Hebrew University to teach them practical Hebrew that would suit their urgent needs. What started as a group of 18 female students and two volunteer teachers grew into a comprehensive educational programme that now teaches over 1,300 women a year.
• Tech2Peace released their 2022 annual report showing that it doubled the number of annual beneficiaries to 500, of which 73% had center to right-wing views. Read the entirety of the report here. Earlier in the month, ALLMEP staff were also joined by members Tech2Peace, Meet Education, Tsofen Tech, and Appleseeds to strategize how they can work together as like-minded organizations in technology.
• Hand In Hand, a network of bilingual, integrated schools, brought Jews and Arabs together through a newly launched musical education program. The Jewish and Arab co-teachers teach the children songs in both Hebrew and Arabic as a way of bringing communities closer to one another. In 2021-22, over 2,000 Arab and Jewish students from ages 3-18 learned together in seven bilingual, multicultural schools. To read more about the organization visit this link. 
• Women Wage Peace formed a new coalition of women’s rights organizations from across the political spectrum in a solidarity call against the new government. Some of the organizations joining this new coalition include Women Make Peace and The Center for Women’s Justice. 

• ALLMEP member, Yanabia, was awarded the Joint-Ashalim Award for their economic development division team. Yanabia’s mission is to help the Bedouin community become a leading voice in the growth of the Negev. They were awarded the Ashalim award for their incredible work reducing economic gaps by supporting the entry of women from Bedouin society in the Negev into the workforce. More about the award can be viewed here. To read more generally about the work of Yanabia visit this link.
• Co-sponsored by ALLMEP partners Amal Tikva and B8 Of Hope, a new Build Peace Program was established. This campaign looks to raise awareness and funds for 15 Israeli and Palestinian NGOs who work to change the reality on the ground. The campaign has raised over $400,000 across the board. More about the campaign can be seen here.
• November saw the graduation of the first cohort of trainees from the Tomorrow’s Youth program funded by USAID in The West Bank and Gaza. Their mission is to support refugees and marginalized communities toward building resilience and mental well-being amidst conflict. We are excited to see the program continue to grow and prosper over the coming years. Read more about this exceptional program here. 

• ALLMEP member Tsofen, which works towards building the high-tech industry within the Arab society of Israel, held a conference in early December. It acted as an example of how opportunities and cooperation in the high-tech industry are crucial in increasing mutual trust and cross-cultural engagement. Read more about the work of Tsofen here. 
• At the beginning of December ALLMEP and 14 peacebuilding organizations met with the Special Envoy on the Israel-Palestine Peace Process to French President Emmanuel Macron, Ofer Bronchtein. They discussed peacebuildings’ central role in conflict resolution. 
• In the first weeks of December, over a dozen peacebuilding organizations delivered remarks at J Street’s 2022 conference in Washington DC. ALLMEP and B8 of Hope’s MidEast Storytellers program had an art exhibit featuring 18 Palestinian and Israeli activists and their digital stories in a multi-media format. To listen to all the stories, click here. 
• In a campaign called “Arab Lives Matter,” Abraham Initiatives released to highlight the rise of deaths of Palestinians and Arabs at the hand of violent crime. This campaign is more important than ever, to recognise internal issues within the Arab community, and the dire consequences if the new government does not continue to support existing crime and violence elimination programs.

• In early November, ALLMEP member Roots hosted their annual “Roots Run Against Violence” event, where dozens of Israelis and Palestinians ran together for change and hope. Roots increased the most out of any ALLMEP cross-border member this past year in terms of beneficiaries. More about this specific campaign can be viewed here. To read more about Roots visit this link. 

• 50:50 Startups released their annual impact report for 2022. The report notes the establishment of Hebrew and Arabic classes for alumni, as well as the successes of 2022 cohort which resulted in 9 ventures, 2 of which were awarded $16,000 pre-seed investments. The full report can be found here. 

• AJEEC-NISPED, an Arab-Jewish Organization for social change celebrated their 20th year in existence. Yitzhak Herzog praised the organization for its incredible work and contribution to society over the years.

• 96% of Hands of Peace graduates of its summer camps in the US for Israeli and Palestinian youth feel that they can rely on the support of fellow participants, according to a new external evaluation of 69 recent alumni. The camps empower its youth to become agents of change through dialogue, education and action, with the evaluation also finding that 100% gained new knowledge about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the social and political challenges in each other’s countries.
• Merchavim released news about their Arab teacher integration conference, bringing together teachers who have integrated into Israeli society.