The Abraham Initiatives hit the ground running in 2024 with meetings at the Knesset. Last week, we took part in the discussion initiated by MK Yoav Segalovich (Yesh Atid) on the issue of private citizen militias, an issue we have been involved with from the beginning. Our co-Director of Public Affairs, Moran Maimoni (pictured above) spoke about the heavy burden being placed on police and communities by the militias.

The Abraham Initiatives is deeply worried about the activities of these unregulated and often armed groups operating on the fault-line between Jewish and Arab communities, especially during a time of war. It is important that the state takes responsibility for the protection of all citizens of Israel.

Despite our strong differences with the current government, we continue to seek opportunities to advance shared society within relevant ministries. Co-CEO Dr. Thabet Abu Rass recently participated in a meeting with Minister of the Interior Moshe Arbel, along with several other officials. At the meeting, the minister stated his desire to cooperate with The Abraham initiatives and promote positive Jewish-Arab relations in Israel during this tense period.

WATCH MORAN'S STATEMENT (HEBREW)

New Policy Reports Issued

Since the current government took office last year, The Abraham Initiatives has invested additional staff time and resources into policy work—to both combat extremist proposals and promote recommendations that will advance shared society.

In the weeks since October 7th, Arab medical professionals have faced unwarranted suspicion and incitement. In response, we issued a detailed policy report to the Ministry of Health and Hospital authorities to ensure that Arab staff can work in an environment free of racism and harassment.

We also issued our final report on crime and violence in Arab communities in 2023. Last year saw the murder rate for Palestinian citizens of Israel more than doubling.

Anti-Racism Education in Pre-Army Academies

The Abraham Initiatives' anti-racism education work in pre-army academies (mechinot) is more important than ever—and we are pleased that we have been able to continue exposing students to the complex and shared reality of Israeli society. Angham Hussiem, our Director of High School Initiatives, recently led a series of meetings with the Lachish mechina in Jerusalem.

Angham, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, is an experienced educator who has forged remarkable connections with pre-army academy students, most of whom are drawn from very different backgrounds. One former student even reached out to Angham after October 7th to check in. She wrote, "For this whole difficult period, what has kept me going is the feeling of the lessons, the thoughts and knowledge that you instilled in me. And mainly the understanding that I have always known—that war is the last option and peace is the ideal."

Training Organizational Consultants

Many critical facets of the Israeli economy and society rely on cooperation within diverse working environments, which have come under strain in recent weeks. Hospitals, universities, municipal governments, and a host of private companies are being confronted with problems that existed before October 7th but have since been exacerbated.

At the end of last year, we developed a training program for management consultants whose clients include organizations with diverse staffs. Our training aims to inculcate expertise in dealing with conflicts or issues in shared work spaces. The model was developed by The Abraham Initiatives' Shahira Shalabi and Dr. Shany Payes, emphasizing flexibility in dealing with a wide range of potential problems.