Standing Together - Engaging in Dialogue on the Israel/Palestine Conflict

We are excited to invite you to a crucial event that marks a significant step in the development of our stances on the Israel/Palestine conflict. Founders of Standing Together, Alon-Lee Green and Rula Daood, are travelling to Amsterdam in September and we have been given the unique opportunity to meet them. Standing Together is a progressive grassroots movement mobilizing Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel against the occupation and for peace, equality, and social justice. As a Jewish Israeli and a Palestinian citizen of Israel, Alon-Lee Green and Rula Daood are committed to show us how both groups can work together to create a better reality for Israelis and Palestinians.

As a political organisation committed to speaking with one voice on behalf of its members, we recognise the challenges and importance of finding common ground on the Israel/Palestine conflict. That is why we are excited to be able to give our community the opportunity to talk to and learn from Standing Together. This event will expose us to perspectives that are often underrepresented in the media and in our internal discussions. It will help guide us to engage in open, inclusive, and informed discussions on the conflict.

Confirmed speakers (more speakers to follow):

• Alon-Lee Green & Rula Daood (Founders of Standing Together)

• Anna Strolenberg (MEP)

• Francesca Romana D'Antuono (co-president)

• Marieke Koekkoek (Dutch MP)

• Amsterdam City Councillors Itay Garmy (Volt) & Sheher Khan (DENK)

The goal of this event is to create a safe environment for our members and political representatives to come together, engage with experts, and gain a deeper understanding of the on-the-ground realities in Israel and Palestine. An understanding that can help our leaders stand for change in politics, and equip our community with more empathy towards each other as well as the people living these horrors in Israel and Palestine.

Sheher Khan and Itay Garmy will also join the conversation. Despite their differences, Sheher and Itay, both Amsterdam City Councillors, have worked closely together to bridge divides. Itay is a Jewish and Israeli representative for Volt, while Sheher, representing DENK, is a Muslim and pro-Palestinian activist. Together, they initiated the "Known Makes Loved" (in Dutch: Bekend maakt Bemind) project, which was unanimously adopted by the Amsterdam City Council just five days after October 7th. Their initiative seeks to build connections among groups of citizens who might otherwise never interact or may hold prejudices against one another.

This event is meant to be the first of a cycle of events and initiatives designed to support and consolidate our political positioning on the Israel/Palestine conflict. While this starts as a Volt Europa project (hosted in collaboration with Volt Netherlands), we believe the way forward as a community is the participation and involvement of national and local teams in a true pan-European fashion.

We will come together to watch the event streaming, and discuss it collectively, to create awareness and understanding.

We look forward to your participation in this important dialogue, as we continue our journey to understand and support effective solutions for the Israel/Palestine conflict.

Together, let’s make a difference.