On April 4, hundreds of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv to protest the war with Iran. A memorable image from that day features Alon-Lee Green, a Jewish Israeli activist. ‘We’ll continue resisting this war. This is a futile war!’ he proclaimed into a camera as police led him away.
Green is well-known for his involvement with Standing Together, a grassroots activist group. He leads this movement alongside his Palestinian colleagues, Rula Daoud and Sally Abed. Established in 2015, Standing Together unites young Jewish and Palestinian Israeli citizens around values of anti-occupation, antiracism, and social justice.
Voices like those of Green, Abed, and Daoud are not mainstream among Jewish Israelis. They advocate not only for an end to war but also for peace, reconciliation, and recognition of the humanity of Palestinians in both Israel and occupied territories. Most Jewish Israelis support the conflicts in Iran and Lebanon. Furthermore, the majority of Israeli adults, including Jews and some Palestinians, doubt the feasibility of a two-state solution.
A New Political Force
In this challenging landscape, a new joint Israeli-Palestinian political party is forming before the significant elections in Israel scheduled for this fall. Named A Place for Us All, and partly led by the three Standing Together leaders, the party might not gather enough votes to participate in the election. Regardless, it is an essential and bold voice in the political discourse.
Arab-Jewish parties have historically found it hard to establish a presence in Israeli politics. While there have been Arab parties with Jewish members and vice versa, these instances are rare. Since its foundation in 1977, Hadash has been the only enduring Arab-Jewish party. Hadash advocates ending the Israeli occupation and supports a two-state solution, but its membership predominantly consists of Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Another attempt, a party called Da’am, created in 1995, focused on workers’ rights and welfare, but it never secured a seat in the Knesset.
Challenge to Norms
Born from joint Jewish-Palestinian activism addressing everyday ground realities instead of lofty policies, A Place for Us All represents young Palestinian and Jewish Israelis. These individuals share friendships and understand each other’s hardships and aspirations. The party’s existence questions the long-standing notion that Palestinians should vote exclusively for Palestinian parties and Jews solely for Jewish parties, irrespective of individual issues.