ALLMEP Member Standing Together in London: Mobilizing for Peace and Equality in Israel-Palestine

On Sunday, October 27th, ALLMEP member Standing Together—a grassroots movement mobilizing Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel in the fight against occupation, for peace, equality, and social justice—drew a full room in London. Attendees gathered to hear about Standing Together’s initiatives to end the devastating war in Gaza and advance a durable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Sondos Saleh, a Palestinian citizen of Israel and former Knesset member, and Uri Weltmann, a Jewish Israeli activist and Standing Together’s National Organizer, shared impactful updates on their efforts since the start of the war. One of their key initiatives was formed as a response to extremists trying to prevent entry of aid to Gaza, succeeding in ensuring safe passage from the West Bank to Gaza of hundreds of aid trucks. This not only ensured that all trucks passing through the Tarqumiah checkpoint reached Gaza, but it has also been important in raising awareness of the attacks in Israeli society. They also launched a food aid initiative for Gaza, collecting over 400 trucks-worth of aid donated by tens of thousands of Palestinian citizens of Israel and Israeli Jews, with “millions of interactions and significant coverage of the aid drive, mostly from inside Israel, but also from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank” (read more here) 

While these actions have been essential during the current conflict, Standing Together’s work for peace has long been in motion. Founded in 2015, the organization has consistently partnered with activists and civil society groups to spotlight human rights issues across Israel and Palestine. They’ve organized protests condemning forced evictions in East Jerusalem, and mobilized against the IDF’s use of lethal force against protesters along the Gaza border.

Sondos and Uri underscored the urgent need for a humane, empathetic approach to a conflict deeply rooted in dehumanization and division. Standing Together is committed to fostering a shared vision for peace, believing that this is a critical foundation for any sustainable resolution.

Uri concluded the talk with an inspiring reminder of resilience: “We can rebuild this political will for peace inside our own society, along with other partners in cooperation with other organizations. This is the ambitious thing that we set ourselves to do. We are trying to go and walk down that road. It is not an easy road, and it is sometimes met with challenges and even setbacks, but we are very much determined to do it.”

You can listen to parts of the talk here, and learn more about Standing Together by visiting their website.