Why We Meet

Despite living so close to each other, Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank exist in almost complete separation, and both sides have little knowledge of each other's lives or humanity. Stereotypes are generally reinforced by exposure to only the aggression of the other; whether through media or personal experience of violence and trauma.

Through our projects and workshops, we create trust and partnership — the societal foundations upon which future political agreements can be built.

Our story begins in 2014 at a meeting between students of Rabbi Menachem Froman,  of blessed memory, and members of the politically-prominent Abu Awwad family. This grew into a series of encounters between Palestinians and Israelis: meetings between families, a women's group, workshops, and a joint response to violence. Sensing the transformative power of this work, we committed to a long-term project and called it Roots.

We are a unique network of local Palestinians and Israelis who have come to see each other as the partners we both need to make changes to end our conflict. Based on a mutual recognition of each People's connection to the Land, we are developing understanding and solidarity despite our ideological differences. Roots is a place where local peoples can take responsibility. Our work is aimed at challenging the assumptions our communities hold about each other, building trust and creating a new discourse around the conflict in our respective societies. This is a grassroots and local model for making change — from the bottom up.

Noor and Hanan speaking to Seane Corne from Off The Mat Into the World in May 2021.

What We Do

Initiatives: Roots is extremely active and carries out groundbreaking grassroots projects within and between our two communities. Our projects include a wide range of formal and informal activities and action, from interreligious discussion groups to a summer camp for children to community-wide meals.

Speaking: A large part of our work is bringing our experience and personal stories to new groups. We speak with various groups at the Roots Field and internationally with the aim to open and change the conversation around the conflict. To access media from past events or to find out about upcoming speaking tours in the US or Europe please look to our 'Speaking Tours' pages.
 

Dialogue: Roots runs dialogue groups at least once a week between members of local communities. We know that there is great disagreement over many issues - over the facts of the past and the reality of the present; but we have found that effective dialogue is the secure place for argument, and leads to deeper understanding. It is in this space that solutions can be built and actions can be developed.