The War in Israel/Palestine
The months following October 7th have been one never-ending nightmare. All of us, Palestinians and Jews across Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, have endured unprecedented violence, loss, and trauma. We have been deeply hurt by the loss of life across the land, both from Hamas’ horrific October 7th attack and Israel’s harsh and indiscriminate retaliation on Gaza in the months following the attack. Every person killed and taken hostage in this horrific reality is a tragedy, and the highest prices for this deadly war have been paid by ordinary civilians. Since October 7th Gaza has faced unrelenting bombardment and a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. In the Occupied West Bank, military raids and settler violence have become increasingly frequent and fatal, freedom of movement has become more restricted, and thousands of Palestinians have been detained in administrative detention without trial. Israeli communities along Israel’s northern and southern borders are still displaced, northern Israel has seen constant rocket fire from Hezbollah, and Israeli hostages remain in captivity. In Israel, Palestinian citizens have also been subject to extreme political persecution for acts as simple as identifying with suffering in Gaza on social media.
Our message is simple: There is another way. We have seen our country launch countless wars and military operations only to end up in the same position. Israel’s policy of attempting to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities every few years has only led to Hamas getting stronger. No military operation has ever produced lasting safety and security for Israelis, while only being catastrophic for Palestinians. The occupation of the West Bank and the blockade on Gaza must end - not only because it is brutal and oppressive for Palestinians - but also because it does not guarantee any long-term safety for Israelis. We know that a negotiated peace agreement is the only way to ensure freedom, equality, and safety for both peoples. As a progressive grassroots movement, we are focused on building the political will in Israeli society to reach a political solution by building a mass movement of Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel who truly believe that such a shared future is possible. We call for an urgent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, to bring back the hostages and save the lives of innocent people in Gaza.
Standing Together’s Response to the War
Humanitarian Guard
In May we launched the Humanitarian Guard, where we have brought activists to Tarqumiyah checkpoint to guard aid trucks headed to Gaza from extremist settlers that come out to attack the trucks. Until we launched the humanitarian guard, the Israeli police did not sufficiently prevent the attacks or arrest the attackers, and the Humanitarian Guard’s activity at the checkpoint ensured heightened police presence and legal consequences for the attacks. This action has ensured that all trucks passing through the Tarqumiah checkpoint reach Gaza, and has also been important in raising awareness of the attacks in Israeli society - pushing people in Israeli society to fight for our collective humanity.
Demonstrations calling for a ceasefire agreement & hostage deal
Standing Together has organized the biggest demonstrations calling for a ceasefire agreement and hostage deal since October 7th, drawing tens of thousands to the streets across the country. In addition to Standing Together’s rallies and marches, we have been joining the main anti-government and pro-hostage deal rallies on Saturday nights in several cities.
Public campaigns to impact discourse
We have been engaging in public campaigns promoting solidarity, partnership, and long-term peace, as well as the importance of condemning the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel. We are promoting messaging aimed at re-humanizing the discourse, retaining humanity, mourning all lives lost, and rejecting violence on social media in Hebrew, Arabic, and English.
Solidarity Conventions
In the first few weeks of the war, we held conventions across the country bringing together hundreds of Jewish and Palestinian citizens to discuss our shared grief, the war’s impact on our society, and how to generate hope and solidarity during this dark time. These conferences were successful in rapidly expanding the networks of Jewish and Palestinian citizens working towards solidarity and peace, and providing people with much-needed hope.
De-escalation and Solidarity within Israel
As soon as the war broke out we opened 12 solidarity networks across the country, where over 5,000 Jewish and Palestinian activists took part in a wide range of actions promoting solidarity and de-escalation. Some highlights include:
-
A “Solidarity Watch” patrol, which accompanies people who are fearful of leaving their homes and serves as a public reminder of Jewish-Arab collaboration.
-
Pooling efforts for humanitarian and mutual aid including cleaning bomb shelters and collecting food for people in need.
-
Physical and virtual meetings to provide safe and open conversations with trained psychologists.
-
Monitoring and reporting calls for violence, discrimination, and fake news in social and traditional media and reporting them to authorities.
-
Pressuring local police and media to intervene in cases of intercommunal violence.
-
Promoting positive messages and a discourse of solidarity on the ground.
-
Training people for de-escalating potentially inflammatory conversations in shared spaces such as the workplace and at school.
Support for victims of discrimination and political persecution
We created an emergency support hotline, where over 300 volunteers provided support in Arabic and Hebrew to people experiencing racism, discrimination, dismissal from their jobs, or expulsion from universities. The support hotline connects people with relevant mental health and legal aid resources, as well as de-escalation techniques.
Student Support
Standing Together has 9 student chapters at various Israeli Universities and Colleges, and is active on 14 campuses. The student chapters have been working to provide extra support for students affected by the war and political persecution, as well as organizing students on campuses to call for an immediate hostage deal and ceasefire agreement, as well as Jewish-Palestinian solidarity on campus.
Standing Together’s Response to the War
As the largest Jewish-Arab grassroots movement in Israel,
we are prioritizing six main initiatives:
1.
Solidarity Conventions
We are holding conventions across the country bringing together hundreds of Jewish and Palestinian citizens to discuss our shared grief, the war’s impact on our society, and how to generate hope and solidarity during this dark time. These conferences are already rapidly growing the networks of Jewish and Palestinian citizens working towards solidarity and peace, and providing people with much-needed hope.
2.
De-escalation and Solidarity within Israel
Using existing movement infrastructure, we opened 12 solidarity networks across the country, in which over 5,000 Jewish and Palestinian activists take part in a wide range of actions promoting solidarity and de-escalation. Some highlights include:
-
A “Solidarity Watch” patrol, which accompanies people who are fearful of leaving their homes and serves as a public reminder of Jewish-Arab collaboration.
-
Pooling efforts for humanitarian and mutual aid including cleaning bomb shelters and collecting food for people in need.
-
Physical and virtual meetings to provide safe and open conversations with trained psychologists.
-
Monitoring and reporting calls for violence, discrimination, and fake news in social and traditional media and reporting them to authorities.
-
Pressuring local police and media to intervene in cases of intercommunal violence.
-
Promoting positive messages and a discourse of solidarity on the ground.
-
Training people for de-escalating potentially inflammatory conversations in shared spaces such as the workplace and at school.
3.
Support for victims of discrimination and political persecution
We created an emergency support hotline, where over 300 volunteers provide support in Arabic and Hebrew to people experiencing racism, discrimination, dismissal from their jobs, or expulsion from universities. The support hotline connects people with relevant mental health and legal aid resources, as well as de-escalation techniques.
4.
Student Support
Standing Together has 9 student chapters at various Israeli Universities, which are working to provide extra support for students affected by the war. Many Palestinian students are suffering from racism and discrimination, as well as expulsion as a result of increased political persecution. In addition, students are facing mental distress, lack of employment due to the war, and displacement around the country. We are ensuring that our student chapters are prepared to assist students in need of help, report calls to violence and racism on campus, and promote de-escalation and solidarity on campus.
5.
Release of the hostages
Since the outbreak of the war, we have been strengthening calls for the release of the hostages on social media and news outlets, as well as joining in demonstrations for the release of the hostages. Since the truce and release of some hostages, we have been actively campaigning for an expansion of the hostage deal.
6.
Public campaigns to impact discourse
We have been engaging in public campaigns promoting solidarity, partnership, and long-term peace, as well as the importance of condemning the killing of innocent civilians in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. We are promoting messaging aimed at re-humanizing the discourse, retaining humanity, mourning all lives lost, and rejecting violence on social media in Hebrew, Arabic, and English.
