Emerging Movement for Peace in Israel

By Mairav Zonszein

In Tel Aviv on April 4, hundreds of Israelis took to the streets to protest the ongoing conflict with Iran. Among the demonstrators was Alon-Lee Green, a Jewish Israeli activist. As police detained him, Green declared into a camera, ‘We’ll continue resisting this war. This is a futile war!’

Mr. Green co-leads the grassroots activist group, Standing Together, with Palestinian colleagues Rula Daoud and Sally Abed. Founded in 2015, this movement consists of young Jewish and Palestinian Israeli citizens focused on anti-occupation, antiracism, and social justice principles.

In Israeli society, voices like Green, Abed, and Daoud, advocating for peace, reconciliation, and recognition of Palestinian humanity, remain on the fringe. Many Jewish Israelis support military actions in Iran and Lebanon. Most Israeli adults, Jews, and some Palestinians, doubt the possibility of a two-state solution.

Amidst these challenges, a new joint Israeli-Palestinian political party, A Place for Us All, emerges as a critical voice before the pivotal elections in Israel this fall. Led partly by Standing Together leaders, this party highlights the voices of those marginalized in the political discourse. Despite its unlikely prospects of securing electoral votes, the party’s formation represents a defiant entry into the Israeli political landscape.

Arab-Jewish parties have historically struggled for prominence in Israeli politics. Arab parties occasionally include Jewish members, and vice versa, but these are exceptions. Hadash, founded in 1977, has been the sole functional Arab-Jewish party focusing on ending the Israeli occupation and advocating for a two-state solution. However, most of its support comes from Palestinian citizens of Israel rather than Israeli Jews.

Da’am, another Arab-Jewish party focused on workers’ rights and welfare, established in 1995, also faces challenges in gaining electoral traction.

A Place for Us All originated from joint Jewish-Palestinian activism on daily realities rather than grand policies. These young activists, both Palestinian and Jewish Israelis, share experiences of pain, struggle, and hope. The party’s existence challenges long-standing notions that Palestinians should vote solely for Palestinian parties and Jews exclusively for Jewish parties, despite the issues at play.