Feel Good Friday - Alliance for Middle East Peace

With news of the recent terrorist attack on Israel and the ensuing violence in the Gaza Strip, it’s difficult to feel hopeful about the state of the world. That’s the reason I started posting a Feel Good Friday blog 11 years ago. To remind myself that at the same time terrible things are happening, there are also people and organizations working to make a positive impact. This week, I’m highlighting the Alliance for Middle East Peace.

Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Washington D.C. the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) is a coalition of over 170 organizations, and tens of thousands of individuals. Their vision is “a Middle East in which its community of Palestinian and Israeli peace builders lead their societies toward and beyond a sustainable peace.” Many of the ALLMEP member organizations have issued statements about the current situation, opposing the violence and committing to an Israeli/Palestinian partnership to achieve peace and equality.

When not in a time of immediate crisis, ALLMEP amplifies the voices and impact of their member organizations by sustaining and scaling the work being done in support of peace. Some of that work is focused on capacity building and training on topics such digital media, grant writing, monitoring and evaluation. Another big portion of the work is around global advocacy and fundraising. 

ALLMEP is working with governments around the world to create an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, and has already secured financial commitment from the United Kingdom and United States. This is modeled after the International Fund for Ireland, which was used to make peace building investments in Northern Ireland.

An example of groups that receive funding from ALLMEP include: The Parents Circle, a group of Palestinian and Israeli parents whose children have been killed, now working together for peace; Hand in Hand, bilingual schools where Jewish and Arab children learn together; and Olive Oil Without Borders, a collaborative economic initiative among olive oil farming communities in Israel and the West Bank. Learn more about those organizations in this short video.

If you’d like to support organizations like those above and see peace in the Middle East, supporting ALLMEP is an actionable step you can take. Make a donation and amplify their message on social media. Follow the ALLMEP Facebook page and subscribe to their YouTube channel.