Jericho Road, Dates Square, Silwan
Jerusalem
Territoires palestiniens
- Democracy and community development
- Human rights
- International/Cultural relations
Combatants for Peace is a grassroots movement of 600 Palestinians and Israelis who took an active part in the cycle of violence and now work together to end it in non-violent ways. We stand firmly against the occupation and for the establishment of a viable Palestinian state. We utilize our partnership to support marginalized communities in the West Bank, particularly Area C. We work together with local communities to protect them, promote their rights, and help them improve their situation in nonviolent ways. Our organization is composed of two branches, one run by Palestinians and one by Israelis, with a total of 3 paid and 30 unpaid staff members. Each side is represented in five bi-national regional groups. The total budget is $148,000, with $200,000 equivalent in volunteer and in-kind support. Main partners include Swiss and Belgian Foreign Offices, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, BSST UK, AJMuste Foundation, IWagePeace, and Firedoll Foundation.
Our main objective is to promote a genuine, just, and lasting peace agreement and assist in the establishment of a viable and independent Palestinian state. Our leading focus areas for 2013-14 are protecting the human rights of Palestinians and exposing Israeli policy makers, the media, and the public to the situation in the West Bank. We work to educate both sides about reconciliation and non-violent struggle and to put pressure on both governments to demand that they stop the cycle of violence and the occupation and resume a constructive dialog. We recognize that dialog for dialog’s sake has not resulted in change, so most of our activities focus around practical solutions for Palestinian communities, though we do engage in dialog to spread our message. Families receive much needed assistance, and Israelis and Palestinians work on joint activities and learn that they have a partner for peace.
We conduct public tours in the Occupied Territories for lay Israelis as well as diplomats and journalists; initiate and participate in joint protest actions and peace rallies such as our Theater of the Oppressed- joint performances about life in the West Bank conducted at check points; deliver community lectures and workshops; empower marginalized Palestinian communities in the areas of agriculture, protection of human rights, providing humanitarian aid such as water pipes, school renovations, preventing demolition of houses, community development, and all forms of non-violent struggle; and hold an annual Joint Israeli Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony, attended by more than 2,400 Israelis and Palestinians in 2013, where we remember the victims of violence on both sides. Each regional group independently determines where they can most be of service, and thus we have multiple projects going on at all times throughout Israel and the West Bank.
We are a respected organization in Palestinian and Israeli society. We are one of the few organizations that have full support and recognition of the Palestinian Popular Anti-Normalization Committee, which has approved all of our activities under the banner of the non-violent struggle. We are thus uniquely situated in a position to reach both populations. We provide a vital service in protecting human rights, and hope to include as many people as possible in this cause. Our theater of the oppressed is a unique form of protest that has gained international attention, and we are the only bi-national organization utilizing this during conflict. We believe that cultural exchange is essential to understanding the other. Our Joint Remembrance Day Ceremony brings both communities together, and was attended by over 2,400 individuals in 2013, making it the largest single event in the peace camp. We have the ability to reach both publics and make a difference.
As a bi-national organization working to promote peace between Israelis and Palestinians, we recognize the importance of establishing connections and networks between human rights and civil society organizations. The Anna Lindh Foundation ideals and goals are closely aligned with ours, as are many of the organizations supported by the ALF and those who are part of the network. The greater our access to like-minded organizations and individuals, the greater our ability to reach out to new groups and communities to spread our message of peace and non-violence throughout society- in Israel, the Occupied Territories, and internationally. In addition, we were the recipients of the Anna Lindh Euro-Med Award for Dialogue between Cultures in 2009. We were enriched by a close relationship with former Network Coordinator Gianluca Solera, and hope to continue working closely with the Anna Lindh Foundation and Network.