Partners for Progressive Israel

10/13/2026

WEDNESDAY, October 14, at 12:30pm ET: The reason to Zoom in tomorrow (register at https://koretcenter.inwise.net/Page_23-09-2026_2) is to hear the progressive perspective of our longtime friend Gaby Lasky גבי לסקי - courageous human rights attorney, pro-democracy and anti-occupation activist, a former Knesset Member (for Meretz), and a soon-to-be Knesset Member again ( #6 on the HaDemocratim-Labor/Meretz slate).

(Note that if you're in the Land, you can also register to attend in person - the event is taking place at the ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv.)

10/12/2026

"To my fellow Jews who are skeptical, hurting, or unsure of how to navigate this moment: we must learn to handle nuance and imperfect allies. Look for the helpers who refuse extreme binaries. Reject those who demand total ideological purity at the expense of human complexity. The same goes for our Palestinian partners towards progress, justice, pride, and peace."

Sharing these important reflections from our friend, Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, who helped organize last week's October 7 Israelis for Peace vigil attended by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander. The vigil was disrupted by protesters waving Hamas flags and displaying pictures of Yahya Sinwar.

Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie’s eye witness reflections on what happened in Union Square on the third annual Israelis for Peace Vigil for 10/7. Once again, the screams of hate thundered over the nuanced pleas for peace. The scene in Union Square this week felt furious and historical, painful and fraught...

10/09/2026

If you missed our compelling webinar discussion yesterday, the recording is now on our YouTube channel, where you can watch it over the weekend - or anytime, at your leisure.

The event, cosponsored by The Abraham Initiatives, dealt with the spike in violence and crime in the Arab community ever since the Netanyahu government came to power in December 2022 and Itamar Ben-Gvir was appointed Minister of National Security with responsibility for the Israel Police.

Panelists Lama Yassin, Director of Shared Cities and Regions at The Abraham Initiatives, and Rawyah Handaqlu, Founder and CEO of Eilaf - the Center for Advancing Security in Arab Society, explored these topics in depth. The discussion moderator was Mahmoud Zreini, Partnerships Coordinator at the Ajyal Youth Movement.

On Thursday, October 8, 2026, Partners for Progressive Israel and T...

10/08/2026

We invite you to join us TODAY at 12:30pm ET! https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_u7ohAkx-TLiJHXKqR-9bJQ #/registration

Please join us on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, at 12:30pm EDT. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_u7ohAkx-TLiJHXKqR-9bJQ #/registration

Over 180 Palestinian citizens of Israel have been killed this year — the highest rate of the past five years.

The root causes of the violence are known. Organized crime families are empowered by inequitable resource distribution, low loan availability in Arab towns, and high unemployment rates. But, crucially, the response of the government and of the Israeli police has been practically nonexistent. In fact, the policy of Itamar Ben Gvir, the National Security Minister in charge of the police, seems to be the promotion of such societal dislocation.

It is the Israeli government’s responsibility to address the deadly crisis being faced by Palestinian citizens. And where is the funding it promised Arab localities to help stem the issue?

Our panelists:
- Lama Yassin, Director of Shared Cities and Regions at The Abraham Initiatives; and
- RAWYAH HANDAQLU, Founder and CEO of Eilaf - the Center for Advancing Security in Arab Society,
will dive into these topics in a webinar co-hosted by Partners for Progressive Israel and The Abraham Initiatives.

The discussion moderator will be MAHMOUD ZREINI, Partnerships Coordinator at the Ajyal Youth Movement.

We hope you will join us to discuss how Israel’s government can, and must, step up to reverse the damaging trend of the last few years.

10/07/2026

On this mournful , we share a recording (with subtitles in English) of the October 4 ceremony at Kibbutz Be'eri sponsored by the World Union of Progressive Zionists (formerly The World Union of Meretz ) and HaDemocratim (Labor/Meretz union - הדמוקרטים), with remarks by bereaved family members, activists, and senior party leadership.

October 7th, 2026 Memorial Ceremony with the Union of Progressive Z...

10/05/2026

TOMORROW - TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1pm ET. https://secure.nif.org/a/three-years-after-october-7-honoring-our-shared-pain-and-humanity/?ms=ppi
As we approach the third anniversary of October 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza, we're proud to be cosponsoring this webinar. We invite you to join us and hear directly from Abdelrahman Amer, a Palestinian father from Gaza whose son was killed in August 2024, and from Adva Finkelstein, an Israeli mother who lost her ex-husband on October 7. Together, they will share their stories of loss and survival, as well as their hopes for the future.

The event, sponsored and organized by New Israel Fund and פורום המשפחות השכולות Parents Circle Families Forum منتدى العائلات الثكلى, will feature introductory remarks from Idit Klein, Vice President of Public Engagement at NIF, and will be moderated by Shiri Ourian, Executive Director of the American Friends of the Parents Circle - Families Forum.

10/02/2026

"Pursuing peace is a many-dimensioned thing, with its exacting pragmatism and unbounded utopianism, its need for both street corner agitators and secret conclaves of high ranking negotiators," writes our board member, Peter Eisenstadt, who reviews Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon's "The Future is Peace" in the latest issue of our Israel Horizons e-zine.

"The ultimate objective" of all this peacework, he continues, "is not just to recognize the trauma of others, but to acknowledge your own complicity in maintaining it."

Read Peter Eisenstadt's full review on our website at
https://www.progressiveisrael.org/book-review-the-future-is-peace-by-aziz-abu-sarah-and-maoz-inon/

Also on our website is the entire September 2026 issue of Israel Horizons in which this review was first published:https://www.progressiveisrael.org/wp-content/uploads/IH_-September_2026_high-res.pdf

https://www.progressiveisrael.org/book-review-the-future-is-peace-by-aziz-abu-sarah-and-maoz-inon/

Review of Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon, The Future is Peace: A Shared Journey Across the Holy Land by Peter Eisenstadt This is a wonderful, powerful, and moving book, co-written by an Israeli Jew and a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem. Most of the book consists of alternating sections, written...

10/01/2026

Please join us on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, at 12:30pm EDT. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_u7ohAkx-TLiJHXKqR-9bJQ #/registration

Over 180 Palestinian citizens of Israel have been killed this year — the highest rate of the past five years.

The root causes of the violence are known. Organized crime families are empowered by inequitable resource distribution, low loan availability in Arab towns, and high unemployment rates. But, crucially, the response of the government and of the Israeli police has been practically nonexistent. In fact, the policy of Itamar Ben Gvir, the National Security Minister in charge of the police, seems to be the promotion of such societal dislocation.

It is the Israeli government’s responsibility to address the deadly crisis being faced by Palestinian citizens. And where is the funding it promised Arab localities to help stem the issue?

Our panelists:
- Lama Yassin, Director of Shared Cities and Regions at The Abraham Initiatives; and
- RAWYAH HANDAQLU, Founder and CEO of Eilaf - the Center for Advancing Security in Arab Society,
will dive into these topics in a webinar co-hosted by Partners for Progressive Israel and The Abraham Initiatives.

The discussion moderator will be MAHMOUD ZREINI, Partnerships Coordinator at the Ajyal Youth Movement.

We hope you will join us to discuss how Israel’s government can, and must, step up to reverse the damaging trend of the last few years.

09/30/2026

Joint List (Balad) MK Sami Abu Shehadeh's disqualification by the Knesset's Central Elections Committee raises serious questions about the boundaries of Israel's democracy, as our executive director, Iky Salinas, wrote last week (link in first comment).

Tomorrow, Abu Shehadeh's appeal goes to the Supreme Court, which has final say. Today he published this column in Haaretz. As an organization dedicated to deepening Americans’ understanding of the complexities of Israeli and Palestinian societies, we strongly encourage you to read it.

On Thursday, I will come to the Supreme Court as a representative of Arab society, bearing the hope that no anti-democratic move led by the Kahanist right to win the election passes