Peacebuilders champion constructive approaches, rooted in Israeli-Palestinian partnership

Over the last month, Israeli and Palestinian communities have been wrestling with some of the most painful trauma, violence, and displacement in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In a short month, whole communities have been rocked to their core, leaving many wondering what lies ahead, both for the ongoing war and the long-term future of the region.

The peacebuilding field, despite its resilience, has not been immune to these challenges. Many of our members are hosting difficult conversations, dialogues, and asking similar questions: “How can our communities best work together? What lies ahead for the peacebuilding field? For our work?” At the same time, they continue to demonstrate their commitment to their work and to Israeli-Palestinian partnership.

Multiple ALLMEP members were interviewed for an article in USA Today highlighting the challenging work of Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilders, including, the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, Parents Circle – Families Forum, Combatants for Peace and Search for Common Ground. 

Nava Sonnenschein, the former director of School of Peace (SfP), was interviewed on CBC News about Neve Shalom – Wahat al-Salam (‘Oasis of Peace’) where The School for Peace is located. It is an educational institution in Israel promoting broad scale change towards peace and more humane, egalitarian and just relations between Palestinians and Jews. Dr. Slieman Halabi, a Palestinian facilitator from School for Peace was interviewed on German television about the dialogue sessions he is conducting between Palestinian and Israeli-Jews who live in Europe. 

ALLMEP member, Hand in Hand School – a mixed, Jewish-Arab school system in Israel, was featured on GBN, talking about their plans to engage students and families in the wake of this crisis.

These are just a few examples from our community of peacebuilders. Their action and voices span far wider than can be captured in this short piece. As the peacebuilding community continues to do this work, it is the responsibility of the international community to amplify it. These are incredible stories, which we can learn from and share widely. Support this work, listen to the voices of peacebuilders, and help center their efforts in the wider conversation around Israel and Palestine.