A “Standing Together” movement rally. Via the London School of Economics and Political Science’s Atlantic fellowship program, part of its International Inequalities Institute

By Kara Atkinson

Violence has proliferated in the wake of the October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel. Exchanges of fire have entangled not only Gaza and Israel, but also the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen in an armed conflict without a clear exit strategy for anyone involved. Civilians across the Middle East have paid the highest price.

The propagation of violent antisemitic and Islamophobic rhetoric, calling for the expulsion of Jews and Palestinians from their homes, has only increased global tension and division across Israel-Palestine.

Amid this enduring turmoil, there are groups consisting of both Israelis and Palestinians that are actively rejecting the logic of violence as a viable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Although resistance is commonly articulated through the binary lens of violent and non-violent resistance, co-led Israeli-Palestinian solidarity groups have engaged in constructive resistance that transcends polarization to call for a permanent ceasefire, the return of hostages, an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories, and security for all.

Constructive resistance, peacebuilding, and hopes for a new left in Israel-Palestine

Constructive resistance is a form of resistance that seeks to challenge oppressive systems or injustices through nonviolence, by promoting dialogue and alternative solutions independent of dominant structures. A core tenet of constructive resistance is that real and lasting change comes from creating new pathways for cooperation, understanding, and reform.

In light of visions for a revitalized Israeli left and a reimagined Zionism grounded in liberal democratic values, it is important to recognize the efforts of Israeli-Palestinian solidarity groups that embody principles of constructive resistance while refusing the politics of ethnonationalism.

Although these groups do not resolve some of the larger issues within the Israeli political left, they offer a potential foundation to shift public perception on what a reimagined liberal Zionism could look like in action. The organized efforts by these groups and their tangible outcomes demonstrate that peacebuilding in Israel-Palestine is not solely an abstract concept.

Israeli and Palestinian speakers at an event organized by Women Wage Peace

Who are these groups and organizations?

The grassroots peacebuilding landscape includes a diverse array of organizations co-led by Israelis and Palestinians whose actions and values fall on the spectrum of constructive resistance. While these groups are often identified with the political left, many describe themselves as nonpartisan. Some of the more well-known organizations are the oldest and are based on reconciliation efforts. The Parents Circle-Families Forum, which supports those who have lost loved ones to the conflict, was founded in 1995. Combatants for Peace, whose members are former Israeli and Palestinian combatants who have committed to nonviolence, was founded in 2006.

There are women-led groups such as the Israeli Women Wage Peace and its Palestinian sister organization Women of the Sun, who have operated as The Mothers’ Call in joint actions.

Standing Together movement logo

One of the most prominent groups in the media after October 7 has been Standing Together, a movement which is comprised of Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel. Hand in Hand has also transformed Jewish-Arab public education through a bilingual school model supported by community programming to bring families together outside of the classroom, even during times of conflict.

Some groups, such as A Land for All, are politically oriented and explicitly call for a joint confederation of two equal states.

Following Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, and the Israeli government’s retaliation on Gaza, it was unexpected for Israeli-Palestinian solidarity groups to withstand the intense anger and profound grief produced by such violent acts. The deaths of Dr. Hayim Katsman, who had worked with the volunteer organization Machsom Watch, and Vivian Silver, one of the co-founders of Women Wage Peace, had the potential to fracture the community.

However, several groups quickly mobilized amid their grief to not only comfort one another, but to serve their communities by clearing bomb shelters and delivering aid to displaced communities in the north and south of Israel. Members have repeatedly held rallies, calling for the release of hostages taken to Gaza, provided mental health support to Jews and Arabs, and hosted forums to facilitate dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians.

Poster for the 19th Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Ceremony. Via Combatants for Peace

In May 2024, Combatants for Peace and the Parents Circle-Families Forum held their 19^th annual joint memorial ceremony online, enabling Palestinians to attend despite increased restrictions on movement. Standing Together prevented Israeli settlers from obstructing the entrance of aid into Gaza and mobilized thousands of volunteers to gather humanitarian aid for delivery to Gaza. 150 trucks of food were able to enter Gaza in January 2025 due to the efforts of Standing Together, and while this was not enough to reverse the impending threat of famine alone, the organization writes that the aid campaign “is a testament to the power of grassroots organizing and Jewish-Palestinian solidarity.”

Challenges to constructive resistance movements in Israel-Palestine

Israelis and Palestinians affiliated with solidarity groups have long faced criticism from across the political spectrum. Recently, this has included calls to boycott groups such as Standing Together on the basis that they whitewash the political and social realities of minorities in Israel.

Several initiatives by different groups have not produced their desired results, but that has not derailed these movements as a whole. Despite contributing their support to the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran, the anti-occupation group Zazim was unable to prevent the demolition of the village located in the Negev/Naqab region of Israel. Standing Together had numerous failed attempts before they managed to get the humanitarian aid they had collected into Gaza due to checkpoint closures and clashes with armed counter-protestors.

These movements do not currently have widespread political support, Israeli or Palestinian, but that could change should they persuade the broader public that there are viable alternatives to the current political paralysis. There is a dynamic interplay between governments and the civil societies they represent, providing the potential to shift future trajectories. Members of these grassroots movements acknowledge that this will not occur overnight.

On the future

“It must start with us. It starts with our ability to look each other in the eye and feel one another’s pain as human beings. Our ability to fight against the politicization of our deaths… and our ability to believe with our whole hearts that every single human being on this land, and every piece of land, is deserving of freedom and safety. That every single human life is worth the same.” – Jess, Standing Together

The longevity of these individual groups and the collective Israeli-Palestinian “constructive resistance” community demonstrates that these relationships built on empathy for the other are not superficial. They have the potential to serve as the foundation for change and dialogue within Israeli and Palestinian societies. The struggle for peace is not an unattainable dream, but a daily, living practice — one that requires courage, compassion, and a commitment to justice for all people.

Kara Atkinson is a second-year M.A. student in Middle East studies at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. Her current research project focuses on co-led Israeli-Palestinian groups pursuing nonviolent resistance within Israel/Palestine. Her research examines how these groups fit into a broader context of constructive resistance with their efforts to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories, as well as how these groups provide a foundation from which reconciliation efforts may be expanded upon once hostilities cease. Kara received her B.A. in history from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. She also served in the United States Army as an Egyptian Arabic linguist from 2014-2019. Outside of academia, Kara is an avid hiker and enjoys spending time with her two golden retrievers, Penny and Lincoln. She is a 2024-25 Mickey & Leo Sreebny Memorial Fellow in Jewish Studies.