Despite ongoing violence and turmoil in the Middle East, there are grassroots groups that remain committed to achieving peace in the region. Here is a breakdown of some of these groups and their efforts towards a resolution:
1. Standing Together, Israel: This movement, considered the largest Arab-Jewish grassroots group in Israel, has mobilized Jewish and Palestinian citizens within Israel “in pursuit of peace, equality, and social and climate justice” by uniting to provide assistance to those affected by the recent attacks.
2. Combatants for Peace, Israel/Palestine: This nonprofit was founded by ex-combatants from both Israeli and Palestinian sides who are promoting peace and ending violence to unite Israelis and Palestinians. The organization calls for non-violence campaigns to work towards the goal of peace.
3. The Parents Circle – Families Forum, Israel/Palestine: The objective of this forum is to have joint Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation through the use of educational resources and public meetings to spread the idea of peace.
4. Women Wage Peace/Women of the Sun, Israel/Palestine: This movement empowers women on both sides of the border to support peace in their communities and build trust across divides. WWP also believes that women must be central to peace negotiations and works to dismantle counter-productive arguments made by decision-makers that perpetuate conflict.
5. EcoPeace Middle East, Israel/Jordan/Palestine: EcoPeace aims to promote environmental peace-building across Israel, Jordan, and Palestine. Last year, the organization’s environmental efforts led to Israel approving sewage treatment upgrades in Gaza, enabling the restoration of the Gaza Strip’s biggest wetland, Wadi Gaza.
6. Hand in Hand, Israel: Integrated schools in Israel have been bringing Jewish and Palestinian children together into a single institution. Lee Gordon, co-founder of Hand in Hand, believes that what the schools are doing is creating a model of what Israel can and should look like.
Despite the escalated violence between Israelis and Palestinians, peace is still achievable through the continued efforts of grassroots groups and communities. These groups transcend borders and their unrelenting efforts towards peace offer hope for the future
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