Impact

Bedouin communities in the Negev, especially villages that are not recognized by the state and lack infrastructure and municipal services, are among the most vulnerable in Israel. At the outset of the Israel-Hamas war, NIF and partners provided water tanks, food, first-aid kits, and educational materials to residents of these villages, and compelled the state to recognize them as “populated” areas and provide some communities with mobile shelters for protection.

The work of watchdog organization FakeReporter, which combats malicious activity online and in messaging platforms, has become even more crucial after October 7. In the months since, FakeReporter teamed up with members of Israel’s tech community to create “Digital Dome,” a central address for reporting content that incites to violence, amplifies racism, or disseminates lies. FakeReporter’s work also resulted in 100 pieces of gruesome content, including on Hamas-owned platforms, being removed.

With support from NIF, grantee Have You Seen the Horizon Lately? established a Jewish-Arab emergency relief center in the Bedouin town of Rahat in October 2023. Every week since then, volunteers have come together to package and distribute humanitarian aid to hundreds of Jewish and Arab families in southern Israel. The center builds social solidarity and reinforces the idea of a shared future for all Israeli citizens.

NIF is supporting initiatives to provide a peaceful, inclusive vision for Israel’s future. The Berl Katznelson Foundation and Mitvim: The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies recently unveiled “The Israeli Initiative,” a roadmap for working toward peace with the Palestinians. Another project called “What Yes” is a collaboration by experts who are drafting 10 key policy proposals intended to serve as a platform for the first 100 days of a future, equality-oriented government.

NIF has redoubled efforts to strengthen Jewish-Arab partnerships. Rapid response grants to Standing Together (Omdim Beyachad-Naqef Ma’an) and the Haifa Social Development Committee have supported efforts to minimize tensions between Jewish and Arab citizens in mixed cities like Haifa, Lod, and Acre. Standing Together formed “solidarity networks” of Jewish and Arab volunteers that spread a message of unity and hope. These networks have grown to include over 6,300 volunteers in 20 localities.

NIF and grantees provided humanitarian aid and basic needs for communities affected by the Hamas attacks and the ensuing war, including arranging for temporary housing solutions, distributing food, providing medical attention and psychological support, organizing educational & recreational activities for children, and more. Additionally, in response to numerous requests since October, NIF has increased its capacity to provide psychological support to activists and organizations.