By Miriam Alexander | Resource Development & Operations Director
Achvat Amim's 2026 Summer Solidarity program brought together 12 participants for an intensive five-week experience combining historical and political education, Arabic study, and sustained solidarity work alongside Palestinian communities in Masafer Yatta.
This summer, our fieldwork centered primarily around two projects developed in partnership with communities in the South Hebron Hills.
In Tuwani, participants worked alongside local residents to cultivate agricultural land inside the village. As nearby Palestinian communities face increasing settler violence and efforts to restrict their access to agricultural and grazing land, maintaining a physical presence on this land has become increasingly important. Participants participated in a variety of tasks including watering, weeding, and harvesting a farm plot home to eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes, and za'atar, while learning about strategies communities are using to remain on and protect their land.
In Umm al-Khair, participants ran a summer camp twice a week for children from the village. The camp grew out of conversations with residents about what would be most useful to the community at a moment when children had faced significant disruptions to their education. Participants planned and facilitated sports, movement, arts, games, and English classes for children of different ages. The kids proudly showed off their new knowledge of body parts, animals, and fruits and vegetables before the next class.
The camp took on particular significance amid escalating violence against Umm al-Khair during the summer. Settlers from Carmel forcibly broke through a fence separating their caravan outpost from a UAK resident’s property right next to the community center. And even more recently, Israel has reclassified over 90% of the land previously recognized as privately owned now as “disputed land.” The summer camp offered a space for children to learn, play, and experience some consistency during an extraordinarily difficult period.
Alongside this fieldwork, participants examined the realities of the occupation, Jewish and Palestinian histories and narratives, systems of power, different theories of change, and the responsibilities of diaspora Jews engaging in Israel/Palestine.
We look forward to bringing six new cohort members into the movement for solidarity work in I/P this September. Thank you for your conitinued partnership in this work.
By Miriam Alexander | Resource Development & Operations Director
By Miriam Alexander | Resource Development & Operations Director
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