WE IN THE CHESTER COUNTY PEACE MOVEMENT STAND WITH “STANDING TOGETHER” AND THEIR POLICY OF PEACE AND NON-VIOLENCE IN THE FACE OF HATRED, WAR, AND GENOCIDE. WE STRONGLY CONDEMN ACTS OF VIOLENCE AND TERROR AND THE KILLING OF INNOCENT CIVILIANS, NO MATTER THE PERPETRATOR. VIOLENCE SOLVES NOTHING, ONLY FOSTERING VIOLENCE IN RETURN. WE AS HUMANS TEND TO BE PRODUCTS OF OUR ENVIRONMENT, SO WE MUST ENDEAVOR TO WORK AND CREATE A KINDER AND MORE PEACEFUL WORLD SO WE CAN BECOME PRODUCTS OF A BETTER, MORE LOVING ENVIRONMENT.
STANDING TOGETHER Our Story
(reprinted from their website)https://www.standing-together.org/about-us
The current socio-political reality in Israel is unbearable. Unending occupation feeds violence, fear, and hatred between Israelis and Palestinians. Economic inequality is widening. Poverty is deepening. Israel’s Palestinian minority faces increasing discrimination. Women, Mizrahim, immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community, the elderly, and people with disabilities are marginalized socially, economically, and politically. Working people must labor for ever longer hours at stagnating wages while the cost of living continues to soar even higher.
Rather than seriously address these problems, our political leaders use fear and racism to divide us. Instead of providing genuine security solutions, they deliver never-ending wars. Rather than serve the majority, they look out only for the rich. Our government is increasingly disconnected and corrupt. Israeli society is in a deep crisis.
Nevertheless, we find room for hope. Most people want to live in a just and equal society. Our country is blossoming with promising initiatives: worker’s unions, anti-occupation campaigns, environmental movements, and so much more.
These struggles inspire hope and help catalyze political change. However, as long as they remain disconnected, their power is sorely limited.
To build peace, equality, and climate justice, we need a mass movement. Currently, the Israeli Left is dominated by professional NGOs, which despite their important work, can never become a political home for the masses. Meanwhile, Israel’s leftist political parties can no longer mobilize wide swaths of the population. Many people want progressive change: they support peace and oppose the occupation, they support equality and oppose racism, they support social justice and oppose rule by wealth. They need a movement to unite them, inspire them to take action, and turn their solidarity into a powerful political force.
Standing Together is this movement. We are building a shared home for all those who refuse hatred and choose empathy. We won’t erase our differences, but rather believe in a true partnership based on shared interests. This is the meaning of Standing Together.
We envision a society that serves all of us. A just and equal society that treats every person with dignity. A society that chooses peace, justice, and independence for Israelis and Palestinians – Jews and Arabs. A society in which we all enjoy real security, adequate housing, quality education, good healthcare, a liveable climate, a decent salary, and the ability to age with dignity.
Such a society is possible – we’re already building it.
The War in Israel/Palestine This past month has been one never-ending nightmare. All of us, Jews and Palestinians, across Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, have endured unprecedented loss and trauma. The horrendous Hamas attacks of October 7th led to over 1,400 Israeli deaths and over 200 hostages. Israel’s harsh and indiscriminate retaliation on Gaza has led to over 9,000 deaths – the vast majority of which were unarmed civilians. We know that the Israeli government’s plan to “eradicate Hamas” lacks a precedent for success, and will not make any of us, Jewish or Palestinian, any safer. It will only lead to thousands more Palestinian deaths while endangering the lives of Israeli border communities, hostages, and soldiers. The far-right government’s reckless escalation has also emboldened settler violence across the West Bank. Israeli military raids in the Occupied Territories have become increasingly frequent and fatal with over 100 Palestinians killed since October 7th and a 100% increase in administrative detention.Within Israel, we are witnessing an intense crackdown against Palestinian citizens, anti-occupation activists, and any anti-war sentiment. Palestinian citizens are routinely fired from their jobs and expelled from their universities for simply expressing concern for Gazan civilians. In addition, we are seeing increasing physical attacks on both Palestinian and Jewish citizens who speak out against the injustices of this war. Our message is simple: There is another way. We have seen our country launch countless wars and military operations only to end up in the same position. Israel’s policy of attempting to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities every few years has only led to Hamas getting stronger. No military operation has ever produced lasting safety and security for Israelis – let alone for Palestinians. The occupation of the West Bank and the blockade on Gaza must end, because they harm Palestinians and guarantee no real safety for Israelis. We know that a negotiated peace agreement is the only way to ensure safety, freedom, and equality for both peoples. As a progressive grassroots movement, we are focused on building the political will in Israeli society to reach a political solution by building a mass movement of Jewish and Palestinian citizens who truly believe that such a shared future is possible.
Standing Together’s Response to the War As the largest Jewish-Arab grassroots movement in Israel, we are prioritizing four initiatives:
1. De-escalation within Israel: Spreading solidarity messages, preparing organized groups to provide mutual aid, and training communities on how to keep themselves safe from inter-communal violence.
2. Support for Palestinian and Jewish students who are being expelled from Israeli universities, fired from their jobs, or receiving threats due to expressing sympathy for Palestinian civilians on social media.
3. Returning the hostages: Highlighting the demands of families of hostages and families who have lost loved ones for a ceasefire and hostage deal. Pushing our government to prioritize the return of the hostages rather than indiscriminate attacks on Gaza.
4. Public campaigns to impact discourse around the war: Strengthening calls on social media nationally and internationally to condemn the killing of innocent civilians in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. Spreading messages for peace, retaining humanity, mourning all lives lost, and rejecting war and violence.