So you want to help Israel & Palestine?

Leave the oversimplified, maximalist approaches behind.

The purpose of this column is to empower you to channel feelings of anger, despair, and hopelessness into action. You won’t find a treatise on the core issues or how we got here, but rather information on how we can move forward — especially if we want the humiliation and violence of the Occupation to end, the latest ceasefire to be the last, and to understand the meaning of Israel’s new government.

Welcome! For many of you, this may be the first time you are deeply paying attention to what’s going on in Israel and Palestine. Or perhaps you’re revisiting. Either way, I’m really glad you care — because I do, too.

(Short on time? Just scroll down to the regularly-updated action items!)

Disclaimer: In full transparency and honesty, here’s where I’m coming from: I’ve been to Israel six times (and Palestine in the West Bank three times) in the past 12 years. I’m a lifelong anti-Occupation activist who is pro-two-state solution. I have family and friends who’ve been deeply involved in civil society in the region for over 25 years, and I’ve written multiple academic theses on the politics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For years I had the privilege of helping civic leaders gain a better understanding of the unique challenges faced by two distinct nations with legitimate ties to the land.

Israel is my home away from home, so that’s the perspective I’m writing from, and by no means should that be interpreted as a desire to exclude the voices or lived experiences of Palestinians in any way.

I believe that Israel has a fundamental right to exist as a Jewish democratic state. And with the same fervor, I believe that Israel can only exist and thrive alongside a free, liberated Palestine. Palestinians are human beings with their own history, culture, and communities--and they deserve the same self-determination as Israelis.

These values of self-determination go hand-in-hand with my beliefs in democracy, feminism, pluralism, antiracism, and the pursuit of justice.

Source: The Economist

Simply put, Israel cannot have all three: being Jewish, democratic, and ruling all of the land. In order to maintain the dream of a prosperous Jewish democratic state, Israel must give up land and non-citizen Palestinians living on it. And no matter how much we all must, rightfully, abhor terror in any form from Hamas or anyone else, we cannot deny the fact that Israel has successfully transformed itself into a strong regional military power with profound abilities to protect itself.

Israel in many ways is now a Goliath, not a David.

Due to the current political status of both Israelis and Palestinians, I don’t believe we’re going to achieve a two-state solution anytime soon. But we absolutely have the power to build the political will in America, Israel, and Palestine for hope for a better future. Political negotiation, not violence, is the only way we see justice achieved and this conflict ending.

So much of what we’re seeing on social media, in the news, and from our politicians and institutions is oversimplified. Here are two generalizations of what many of us are seeing across our screens:

• Circle the Wagons: For years, too many American Jewish organizations and the U.S. center-right in general remain silent on harmful Israeli government actions that go against the majority of Jewish and American values and interests (some nefariously bankroll those actions), especially when it comes to human rights of Palestinians and Israel’s democratic character. Yet, the second Israel comes under attack, they speak out, but will be quick to say “now is not the time” to criticize Israel’s actions because it’s defending itself. There’s fear among this group of airing “Israel’s dirty laundry” in light of the country’s many enemies, yet doing so could actually help Israel live up to its own professed Jewish democratic values and build stronger support for Israel’s existence in America’s increasingly diverse population. There’s no problem with us speaking out against racism and fascism in America, but if we want to do so when Netanyahu and like-minded folks do so in the name of the Jewish people, we’re told to be silent. (True story: I’ve been told I’m “not a real Jew” and “trying to destroy Israel” by Jewish communal leaders when speaking out on the consequences of the Occupation and assaults on Israel’s democracy, which is laughable given how much Israel is a central part of my own Jewish identity.)
• “Israel”: When trying to speak out on behalf of Palestinians, many of my fellow progressives often speak out in ways that suggest Israel shouldn’t exist, often denying the right of Jewish self-determination, which the majority of Jews refer to as “Zionism.” Remember that when we say “Jewish,” we’re not just talking about religion in a very oversimplified Christian-centric way we tend to think of it in America. Judaism is a civilization rooted in diverse cultures and heritages in addition to faith (someone can be Jewish by way of one, two, or all three avenues), so self-determination isn’t just about religious freedom and practice, but entire peoplehood. In this context, there’s an insinuated, false assumption that all Jews are white and can just “go back” to Europe (the majority of Jews in Israel are Sephardi/Mizrahi background from the Middle East, North Africa, and Iran, not like the 80–85% in America who are Ashkenazi; the overwhelming majority of all Israeli Jews are or are descended from refugees violently expelled from/unbearably oppressed in their countries or survived the Holocaust with nowhere else to go). Infamous infographics claiming that Israel isn’t a real country (with “Israel” in quotes) abound, claiming it’s just a “settler colony.” It’s especially ironic coming from progressive Americans, who use such inflammatory language while living on land stolen by genocide of Native Americans and benefitting from an economy developed by Black slave labor; no one says America shouldn’t exist because of it, but instead demand that America be better. In fact, when talking about other international conflicts, no one suggests destroying one country over another as a solution — that’s why, for example, when we demand freedom for Hong Kong, Uyghurs, and Tibet, there’s no call to destroy China, despite its racist (favoring Han Chinese), deeply authoritarian regime.

What do both have in common? They keep approaching the conflict through a zero-sum lens.

Palestinians and Israelis, with all of their differences in very real power dynamics and narratives, continue to suffer with our behavior abroad harming the chance for both to live in dignity, safety, and — dare I say it? — peace.

Update: The 400%+ increase in antisemitism in America (including here in LA, NYC, and South Florida) since the May 2021 war between Hamas and Israel, I must emphasize:

Antisemitism of any kind — including Jews of all political perspectives and nationalities — will not free Palestine. *And* antisemitism weaponized against Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims — and that weaponization includes the choice to stay silent over the abuses to of the Occupation — will not keep Jews and Israel safe.

Check out The Jerusalem Declaration for guidelines on how to criticize Israel without being antisemitic.

Below you’ll find ways to constructively take action, organizations doing the work, and resources to help you avoid the destructive maximalist approaches we’re seeing out there. I’ll be sure to update them over time.

A note on NGOs & Resources: I don’t agree with every decision or conclusion made by every organization/person I recommend, but I view their efforts as critical to empowering the people in the region who will change their nations for the better. Remember that for decades right-wing NGOs in Israel have enjoyed financial backing from American billionaires, whereas progressive ones are grossly underfunded, regularly attacked by the Israeli government, and need our support.

Take Action: Make This Ceasefire the Last

• ACT: Ask Biden to End Right-Wing Obstruction of Palestinian Aid
• SIGN UP: J Street News Roundup → Just because there’s a ceasefire doesn’t mean the the Occupation is over. Learn more and stay engaged through these helpful, constructive updates!
• ATTEND: Israel Therapy for the Conflicted, a Three-Part Series (6/16, 7/14, 8/18)

Organizations Doing the Work

• J Street: J Street advocates and mobilizes for a U.S. foreign policy that reflects the values of the majority of American Jews and pro-Israel, pro-Palestine Americans. J Street was on the front lines of flipping the House in 2018 and flipping both the Senate and White House in 2020. Check out this spectacular May 16 MSNBC interview with J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami giving a great synopsis of J Street’s efforts.
• Americans for Peace Now: APN is the sister organization of Shalom Achshav, Israel’s preeminent, indigenous peace movement. They elevate critical Settlement Watch programs and are a critical voice in Washington.
• New Israel Fund: Basically, the vast majority of Israeli progressive civil society wouldn’t exist if not for NIF. Some of their grantees include: Association for Civil Rights in Israel (Israel’s ACLU), Standing Together (Israel’s Jewish-Arab grassroots movement, which is mobilizing coexistence demonstrations across the country in response to the current violence), B’Tselem (monitors human rights in the Palestinian territories), Breaking the Silence (collects soldiers’ testimonies in order to raise public awareness of the consequences of the Occupation), Combatants for Peace (ex-combatants from Israel & Palestine promoting an end to the conflict through campaigns and the media) and many more.
• Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP): ALLMEP secures and scales funding to radically expand trust-building interactions between Israelis and Palestinians. They successfully just advocated for the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, which will provide $250 million in the years ahead for NGOs on the ground.
• Truah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights: T’ruah brings a rabbinic voice and the power of the Jewish community to protecting and advancing human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.
• Encounter: Encounter educates Jewish communal leadership on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• Abraham Initiatives: The Abraham Initiatives strives to fulfill the promise of full and equal citizenship and complete equality of social and political rights for Israel’s Jewish and Arab citizens, as embodied in Israel’s Declaration of Independence.
• New Story Leadership: New Story Leadership impowers future leaders of Palestine and Israel to speak truth to power and create change with social impact.
• OneVoice Movement: The OneVoice Movement works to build the human infrastructure needed to create the necessary conditions for a just and negotiated resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Zimam, OneVoice’s Palestine partner, mobilizes together thousands of Palestinians from across the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem towards building a society united through respect, peace and democracy. Darkenu, OneVoice’s Israel partner, is Israel’s largest nonpartisan civil society organization mobilizing and empowering the moderate majority of Israelis to exert influence on government policy and beyond. (I had the privilege of watching them work firsthand in 2018)
• Israel Policy Forum: IPF works to make the case that two states for two peoples is the absolute best way Israel can ensure its security.
• International Medical Corps — Gaza: Fund first responders to help civilians in Gaza.
• Magen David Adom: Fund first responders to help civilians of all backgrounds in Israel.
• Palestine Children’s Relief Fund: PCRF serves children in Gaza suffering from physical and psychological trauma from being exposed to bombs and conflict.

Resources

Webinars & Podcasts

• I Reject the Premise of the Question — Rabbi Sharon Brous, IKAR
• Jerusalem Crisis: What’s happening, what’s being done, what’s needed. (also available in podcast form) — Noa Landau (Haaretz), Huda Abuarquob (Alliance for Middle East Peace), Daniel Seidemann (Terrestrial Jerusalem), and Hagit Ofran (Peace Now)
• Clashes in Israel and Gaza, Pod Save the World
• Israel Policy Forum Podcast

Columns & Articles

• The American Jewish Left’s Untimely Abandonment of Israel’s Leftists — Eitan Nechin, Haaretz
• Explainer: A Post-Netanyahu “Change” Government in Israel — J Street
• The First Job for Israel’s New Government: Clean Up Bibi’s Mess — Dahlia Scheindlin, NYT
• How Netanyahu Created the New Israeli Government That’s Poised to Replace Him — Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz
• The Particular Challenge of Universalism — Rabbi Josh Weinberg
• Life Under Occupation: The Misery at the Heart of the Conflict — David Halbfinger and Adam Ragson, NYT
• To uphold its founding promise, Israel must treat its Arab citizens as truly equal — Daniel Sokatch & David Myers, Forward
• The Myth of Coexistence in Israel — Diana Buttu, NYT (A note on the historically inaccurate map timeline in the article: it was placed there by the publications, not the author; here’s an accurate map timeline.)
• Don’t Take the Narrow View of What’s Happening in Gaza — Shadi Hamid, The Atlantic
• For Trump, Hamas and Bibi, It Is Always Jan. 6 — Thomas Friedman, NYT
• The Israel-Hamas ceasefire should have come sooner — and could have if Biden had acted — Abe Silberstein, Forward
• Our Prayers Must Be Joined by Demands — Rabbi Sharon Brous, IKAR, Lilith
• Israelis and Palestinians can’t go on like this. Weep for us. — Gershom Gorenberg, The Washington Post
• Solution to Violence Must Be Strategic — Amb. Nadav Tamir, Executive Director of J Street Israel, Times of Israel
• The U.S. conversation on Israel is changing, no matter Biden’s stance — Ishaan Tharoor, The Washington Post
• I cannot just put my anger aside until things are quiet — Rabbi Donniel Hartman, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute, Times of Israel
• What Your Taxes Are Paying For in Israel — Nicholas Kristof, NYT
• ‘It looks dire but I’m hopeful’: Jewish and Arab coexistence activists respond to the violence in Israel’s streets — JTA

People to Follow

• Rabbi Jill Jacobs, Executive Director of T’ruah
• Hussein Ibish, Senior Resident Scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
• Shira Efron, Senior Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, Special Advisor on Israel at RAND Corporation, Policy Advisor at Israel Policy Forum
• Dr. Sara Hirschorn, Northwestern University Professor and Author of City on A Hilltop and Zionism & Identity Politics
• Tamara Cofman Wittes, Brookings Senior Fellow
• Ilan Goldenberg, Senior Fellow and Director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security
• Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz & Economist Correspondent
• Shadi Hamid, Brookings Senior Fellow and Contributing Writer for The Atlantic
• John Lyndon, Executive Director, Alliance for Middle East Peace
• Dahlia Scheindlin, Pollster & Policy Fellow at the Century Foundation
• Michael Koplow, Policy Director, Israel Policy Forum
• Daniel Seidemann, Founder of Terrestrial Jerusalem
• Noa Landau, Haaretz Writer
• Jeremy Ben-Ami, President, J Street
• Sam Bahour, Palestinian activist and entrepreneur
• Hadar Susskind, President & CEO, Americans for Peace Now
• Dr. Debra Sushan, Director of Government Affairs, J Street
• Abe Silberstein, Writer on Israel and US foreign policy
• Neri Zilber, Journalist
• Barak Ravid, Walla Diplomatic Correspondent and Axios Contributor
• Rabbi Michael Adam Latz, Shir Tikvah, Minneapolis
• Dylan Williams, SVP for Policy & Strategy, J Street
• Evan Gottesman, Associate Director of Policy and Communications, Israel Policy Forum
• Logan Bayroff, VP of Communications, J Street
• Alex Ward, White House Reporter on National Security & Foreign Policy, Vox
• Khaled Elgindy, Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute
• Alon-Lee Green, Co-Founder, Standing Together
• Sally Abed, Resource Development Director, Standing Together
• Harry Reis, Director of Policy & Strategy, New Israel Fund
• Ben Samuels, US Correspondent, Haaretz
• Ben Rhodes, former Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting to President Obama, Pod Save The World , MSNBC, Author of After the Fall: Being American in the World
• Yaël Mizrahi-Arnaud, Research Fellow, Center for Regional Thinking
• Lara Friedman, President, Foundation for Middle East Peace
• Dana El Kurd, Author of Polarized and Demobilized: Legacies of Authoritarianism in Palestine
• Maisam Jaljuli, Chair of the Hadash faction in Naamat & Feminist political
• Ayman Odeh, Head of the Joint List
• Tareq Baconi, Analyst at the Crisis Group, Author of Hamas Contained
• Elisehva Goldberg, Media Director, New Israel Fund
• Yair Wallach, Senior Lecturer in Israeli Studies, SOAS, Author of City in Fragments
• Ori Nir, VP of Public Affairs, Americans for Peace Now
• Nathan Thrall, Author of The Only Language They Understand

Books

• In This Place Together: A Palestinian’s Journey to Collective Liberation, by Penina Eilberg-Schwartz & Sulaiman Khatib
• Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor by Yossi Klein Halevi
• One Palestine, Complete, 1949: The First Israelis,1967: Israel, the War, and the Year That Transformed the Middle East, The Seventh Million: The Israelis and the Holocaust, and A State at Any Cost: The Life of David Ben-Gurion, all by Tom Segev
• In the Land of Israel, Dear Zealots: Letters from a Divided Land, How to Cure a Fanatic, all by Amos Oz
• The Crisis of Zionism, by Peter Beinart
• Native: Dispatches from an Israeli-Palestinian Life, by Sayed Kashua
• The Accidental Empire: Israel and the Birth of the Settlements, 1967–1977, by Gershom Gorenberg
• City on a Hilltop: American Jews and the Israeli Settler Movement, by Dr. Sara Yael Hirschorn