Musalaha Executive Director Salim J. Munayer writes:
Firstly, 30 years is no small number for any organisation to be active, let alone in Palestine/Israel. We have faced numerous challenges and adversities including various different political administrations, wars, an intifada, global economic crisis, and now a pandemic! Despite all of this, Musalaha has learned to adapt itself to some of the most complicated circumstances in Palestine/ Israel. This was of course no easy task as Musalaha had to reinvent itself a number of times. Reconciliation was always our message and calling, but its communication and implementation had to always translate to the reality on the ground. Sadly to say, we witnessed over 30 years many peace-building, reconciliation and dialogue groups dissolve. We are truly thankful for God’s provision and guidance through the various storms.
Secondly, we have impacted the lives of thousands of Palestinians and Israelis throughout our work. Moreover, our vision of reconciliation has also expanded to other individuals and communities around us. In its very early establishment, Musalaha focused on Palestinians and Israelis followers of Jesus, and it remained the case for a number of years. However in recent years, we have expanded the vision and work to other segments of society. This is partially due to the case that Muslims, Jews and secular individuals have approached us and wanted to participate in our programmes and learn about our curriculum of reconciliation.
