New US funding boosts peacebuilding efforts between Israelis and Palestinians

Fifteen peacebuilding organisations have launched a campaign working together to from the ground up.

With Israel’s latest elections finally complete and violence between Israelis and Palestinians on the rise, 15 leading Israeli and Palestinian NGOs have launched a joint campaign to change the discourse from the ground up – and prepare for a major influx of funding from the US government and private donors.

The Build Peace Campaign, co-sponsored by Jerusalem-based Amal-Tikva and Swiss-based B8 of Hope, is part of broader efforts ensuring that peacebuilding NGOs work more efficiently, effectively, and at scale.

This is the first year in which funding from MEPPA – the US government’s $50 million annual commitment to Israeli-Palestinian peacebuilding – has begun to flow in. Efforts led by Amal-Tikva and others have begun to bear fruit, as the field sees exponential growth, proven impact and increased funding from private donors.

Participating  organisations such as Lissan help Palestinian women in East Jerusalem access the Israeli job market and higher education and navigate public services and the healthcare system. Roots-Shorashim-Judor brings Jews and Arabs together across Judea and Samaria/the West Bank. The Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue trains teachers in Jewish and Arab schools across the country to facilitate difficult conversations about tackling xenophobia in the classroom. Tech2Peace sends hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian through intensive tech and dialogue boot camps.

“Most people don’t think of women empowerment, access to healthcare, language instruction and technology as ‘peace’ programs, but if we take a step back from politics and think of what a more peaceful reality actually looks like, these are the key ingredients,” said Meredith Rothbart, co-founder and CEO of Amal-Tikva.

“Our campaign aims to bring together the people who are working to improve the day-to-day lives of both Israelis and Palestinians. We know that by coming together, we will succeed in creating real impact and changing the day-to-day reality on the ground,”