In the midst of activity, violence, and political uncertainty, the School for Peace has been looking at what we can do to make a difference.

First of all, we are trying to support our staff members, freelancers and graduates, some of whom live in Arab villages or mixed cities like Lydda (اللد‎, לוד‎), that have been under attack by right-wing gangs or by Israeli security forces (like Kafr Kana, yesterday). Many of our freelancers and graduates feel that their safety is compromised, and we are trying to support them as best we we can.

Our graduates, meanwhile, have been very busy. We have just held three meetings for the group of leaders in mixed cities in which there were opportunities to discuss their difficult experiences and offer concrete support for their actions. The stories shared in those meetings are sad and scary but always conclude with an unwavering understanding of the importance of acting, at this critical time.

A photo from our meeting on Saturday, 15 May (which Palestinians commemorate as Nakba Day) is attached. We thought it was urgent to produce a shared statement. Drafting such a statement took us 48 hours during which our the other graduate groups (planners, lawyers, mental health professionals) gave their input. The statement is attached has already been published on our site and in social media.

The amount of activism achieved by our graduates is overwhelming. In Jaffa, two of our graduates (Rawan Bisharat and Ibrahim Agbaria) co-organized a large demonstration attended by Jews and Palestinians (picture attached). One graduate (Nahed Sakis) is a member of the team that supports wounded community members. Another graduate (Rachel Hagigi) is an organizer of a “neighborhood watch” which is comprised of Jews living Jaffa. In Lod, Natali Kirshtein is organizing a shared demonstration for today (Sunday May 16) and Yossi Basson together with Akram Sakalla are in the process of organizing a tour in the city by local Jewish and Muslim religious leaders. There are many more projects and initiatives.

It has been highly encouraging, during this difficult time, to hear heard from several graduates of SFP activities who said that our activities had changed their perspective and increased their ability to engage during the current discouraging reality.