What can be done by civil society organizations in order to enhance the building of a shared society in Israel? Which strategies do partners of the FES have in this field of work?
These questions were discussed on May 5, 2018 at the offices of FES Israel in Herzliya with the Prime Minister of the German federal state of Brandenburg, Mr. Dietmar Woidke and his delegation. Speakers during the lively discussion were Yaniv Sagee, director of Givat Haviva, Amnon Beeri-Sulitzeanu, co-director of The Abraham Fund Initiatives, Ola Najami Yusef, head of the youth and women leadership programmes of The Abraham Fund Initiatives, Orly Bitty, head of the department for special projects and chairwoman of the Avoda faction at Na’amat as well as board member of the Histadrut, Nurit Hajaj, political activist and group moderator, Samah Salaime, deputy director of Wahat-al- Salam – Neve Shalom and Nidal Othman, director of The Coalition against Racism in Israel.
One clear message of the speakers was that in order to build a shared society it was not enough to work on Jewish-Arab relations. An inclusive society can only flourish if all its segments feel that they belong and barriers between people are replaced by solidarity and mutual respect. In addition, working with young people is crucial.
