When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Israel and Palestine in March 2020, the social and economic effects were immediately devastating. But efforts to stop the spread of the virus have also had a significant impact on the region’s civil society and their work towards peace.
Peacebuilding activities bring together Israelis and Palestinians who would otherwise never meet, and the pandemic goes directly against the core of what these organizations do. The entire sector promotes physical encounters as a way to transform intolerance and prejudice into mutual respect and understanding.
As a result of social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders, organizations were not only able to meet in person and conduct their work, but had to significantly alter their theories of change. The economic effects of the pandemic were also immediately felt by the peacebuilding sector, whose funding sources have been diverted to urgent issues relating to the pandemic. As such, the pandemic has brought many organizations in the Israeli-Palestinian peacebuilding sector to a near halt. At the time of writing, COVID-19 is spiking once more, with Israel being the first country to enter a second phase of nationwide lockdown. The threats and opportunities identified in this report should be considered as ongoing and escalating, rather than a wave that has now passed.
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