Dear supporters,
In our 30th anniversary year, we are dismayed seeing one of our project regions at war. The unprecedented escalation in Israel and Palestine marks a break for our work.
In our Special Bulletin in November 2023, we hoped in vain for an early end to the war. The terrorist attack by Hamas and the subsequent war in Gaza have had serious consequences in both Palestine and Israel – albeit radically different ones – including for our partners personally.
In Israel, the militarization of society, (re-)traumatization, social rifts over views on the war in Gaza and state repression are all part of the picture. The war in Gaza continues unabated, the situation of the civilian population is beyond description. Less visible to many are the developments in the West Bank, where the situation is worsening at all levels: the presence of the Israeli army and attacks by radical settlers have increased significantly. There are more (mobile) checkpoints and there is great fear of raids, arrests, repression and physical attacks. Impressively, our partners on the ground continue to work – in whatever way possible and sensible in this new reality.
Our partners in the Balkans tell us that repression against political activists is increasing, democratic processes are being visibly undermined and nationalism of various political actors too often falls on fertile ground in their societies.
In Serbia, civil society was constantly on the streets in 2023, first with mass protests against the rampant violence in the country, then against the fraud in the elections that President Vucic had called in December in response to the protests.
Our partner organization Link was actively involved in the protests, some youngsters from Youth United in Peace (YU-Peace) were involved as election monitors and were brutally attacked because of it. More on this in the 2023 annual report. Several Peace Camps will take place in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia in 2024, including the camp for activists in Srebrenica in July and the Peace Camp in Seget Donji in August. The project anniversary will be celebrated in fall with a special weekend visit in Tuzla.
2024 is one of the most difficult years in the history of the project, especially for our work in Palestine and Israel. Instead of shying away from this, our partners want to further consolidate our work and develop new concepts.
Our solidarity and support for those who continue to oppose the cycles of violence and fight for a peaceful path to a just future remains unbroken.

To keep making this possible, we depend on your generous donation.