A chapter ends - the work for just peace continues

After 20 years of successful collaboration, Horyzon's financial support for the Joint Advocacy Initiative is coming to an end. The project collaboration is coming to an end as planned, and Horyzon will focus on other projects in the future - but will remain active with the "Reintegration Program" in Palestine. The "Joint Advocacy Initiative" itself will also continue: The local partner organizations YMCA East Jerusalem and YWCA Palestine are continuing the work and remain committed to a just peace.

The aim of the Joint Advocacy Initiative is to bring young people from Palestine and Europe into contact with each other. The project strengthens their awareness of peace, justice and human rights and creates spaces for encounters across cultural and political boundaries. The aim is to maintain the young generation's hope for a just and peaceful future - in a country characterized by insecurity and restricted freedom of movement. The exchange between young people, often entire school classes, is at the heart of the project. In workshops, seminars and dialog meetings, young Palestinians learn together with young Europeans how to talk about the political and social challenges in the Middle East. Many participants report that these encounters have given them courage and taught them to listen, build bridges and take responsibility. Due to the current situation in the Middle East, this direct exchange is currently not possible. Unfortunately, the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the associated entry and exit restrictions are currently preventing personal encounters on the ground.

Another central component of the project is the olive tree campaign, which symbolically and literally plants hope. In Palestine, farming families lose their land if they do not cultivate it for a long period of time. According to Israeli law, it can then become Israeli property. To prevent this from happening, thousands of seedlings are planted every year as part of the olive tree campaign, which is financed by international donations. Thanks to Horyzon's financial contribution, around 50,000 olive tree seedlings are distributed to over 600 Palestinian farming families every year. Volunteers help plant the young trees and harvest the olives. For many families, this means much more than economic support: it is a sign of steadfastness, identity and the right to live and work on their own land.

Horyzon would like to thank all donors who have made the Joint Advocacy Initiative possible over the years. This support has given young people a voice, given farming families new hope and created solidarity across borders. This impact will last beyond the end of Horyzon's funding. Horyzon would also like to thank its local partner organizations YMCA East Jerusalem and YWCA Palestine for the many years of excellent cooperation, which has achieved so much.