Standing Together

Standing Together
Name	Standing Together
Founded	2015
Founder	Yahya Farhan; Adnan Abdallah
Headquarters	Tel Aviv; Haifa; Nazareth
Region	Israel/Palestine
Ideology	Mixed Arab–Jewish social justice; anti-occupation; socialist

Standing Together

Standing Together is a grassroots political movement formed in 2015 that brings together Israeli Jewish and Palestinian Arab activists to campaign on shared social and political issues. It emerged from local anti-austerity and protest networks and has engaged in electoral politics, labor organizing, and cross-community solidarity work. The movement operates in cities such as Tel Aviv, Haifa, Nazareth, Beersheba, and Jerusalem, and intersects with wider coalitions including Hadash, Balad, Joint List, Ta'al, and civil society actors.

History

Standing Together traces roots to protest waves including the 2011 Israeli social justice protests in Tel Aviv and subsequent grassroots mobilizations around housing and welfare. Early organizers drew on networks associated with Hadash activists, veterans of the Second Intifada, trade unionists from the Histadrut, and members of local community groups in mixed cities like Jaffa and Lod. The group consolidated in 2015 amid debates sparked by the Nation-State Law and economic reforms, positioning itself alongside campaigns led by organizations such as B'Tselem, Breaking the Silence, and the New Israel Fund. Standing Together expanded activity during events including the 2018 Gaza protests near the Gaza Strip border and the 2020–2021 political crises involving multiple elections and the Benjamin Netanyahu premiership. It later engaged electorally in cooperation with the Joint List and allied parties during the 2021 Knesset elections.

Membership and Structure

Membership comprises activists from diverse backgrounds: former members of Meretz, Hadash, and unaffiliated leftists; Palestinian citizens of Israel with ties to United Arab List constituencies; trade unionists connected to the Histadrut; student organizers from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and University of Haifa; and veterans of community legal aid centers like Adalah. The movement uses a federated model with local branches in municipalities including Acre and Rishon LeZion, coordinated by national committees that include representatives formerly linked to Gush Shalom and Anarchists Against the Wall. Decision-making combines mass assemblies and elected coordinating councils, drawing methods from organizations such as Socialist International affiliates and veteran activists from International Solidarity Movement. Funding sources have included membership dues, donations from individuals, and support from foundations historically associated with the New Israel Fund and transnational solidarity networks active around the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

Activities and Campaigns

Standing Together organizes a range of activities: mass demonstrations, labor strikes, mutual aid projects, and electoral campaigning. Notable campaigns include joint Jewish–Arab labor actions with unions linked to the Histadrut and public-sector workers, solidarity protests during Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip and during police raids in cities like Lod, and mobilizations against evictions in neighborhoods such as Sheikh Jarrah. The movement has coordinated mutual aid during crises alongside humanitarian NGOs like Magen David Adom and community centers connected to Mossawa. It has mounted public education initiatives in partnership with cultural institutions in Haifa and hosted panels featuring speakers from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and academics affiliated with Tel Aviv University and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Ideology and Goals

Standing Together articulates a platform combining social-democratic and anti-occupation positions, advocating for equal civil rights for Palestinian citizens, socio-economic redistribution, and an end to military occupation in territories affected by the Six-Day War and the Oslo Accords framework. Its rhetoric references historical struggles associated with figures and events such as Yitzhak Rabin's assassination, the peace process involving Yasser Arafat, and international solidarity movements tied to Solidarity (Poland). The movement emphasizes intersectional campaigns linking class struggles to national minority rights, drawing conceptual affinities with groups like Zionist Union dissidents, Palestinian leftists around Fatah-linked forums, and international left networks.

Controversies and Criticism

Standing Together has faced criticism from right-wing parties including Likud, Yamina, and religious-nationalist groups accusing it of undermining security narratives and enabling international criticism from organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Some Jewish activists tied to Meretz and secular liberal circles have criticized tactical alliances with Islamist-affiliated parties like United Arab List as politically contentious. Conversely, Palestinian critics affiliated with Hamas and hardline factions have accused the movement of insufficiently challenging the Occupation of the Palestinian territories and of engaging in tokenistic Jewish–Arab cooperation. Accusations of funding opacity and alleged links to foreign NGOs have led to heated debate in the Knesset and coverage in media outlets such as Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, and Yedioth Ahronoth.

Impact and Legacy

Standing Together has influenced public discourse on mixed Jewish–Arab organizing and contributed to electoral dynamics by strengthening cross-community lists and sympathetic candidacies in municipal and national contests. The movement helped normalize joint labor actions and solidarity demonstrations, altering activist strategies in mixed cities like Acre and Lod and informing subsequent alliances among parties such as Hadash and the Joint List. Its campaigns affected legal debates considered in institutions including the Supreme Court of Israel and municipal councils, and its model has been studied by scholars at Hebrew University of Jerusalem and international researchers from SOAS University of London and Columbia University. Standing Together's legacy lies in shaping a generation of activists conversant with both socio-economic and national rights frameworks, influencing future coalition-building across the Israeli and Palestinian political landscape.

Category:Political movements in Israel