Bringing Grassroots Peacebuilding to Washington, DC

A visit to Washington, DC in 2024 gave B8 of Hope an opportunity to connect the work of grassroots Palestinian and Israeli peacebuilders with institutions and decision-makers able to support and amplify it. Mehra Rimer met with Avi Meyerstein, founder of the Alliance for Middle East Peace, representatives of the United States Institute of Peace, and members of Congress interested in Israeli–Palestinian peacebuilding.

The visit also brought several B8 of Hope grantees into focus. Mehra met Jerusalem Youth Chorus founder Micah Hendler following the chorus’s appearance at the TED conference, where its young Palestinian and Israeli singers had carried their message of partnership onto an international stage. She also attended a New Story Leadership event where alumni presented the Phoenix Plan for Gaza’s reconstruction—a vision they had developed during their earlier retreat with B8 of Hope in Geneva. Seeing that work move from an intensive gathering in Switzerland into policy conversations in Washington was especially meaningful.

Mehra also joined a satellite screening of the Joint Israeli–Palestinian Memorial Ceremony, organized by Combatants for Peace and the Parents Circle–Families Forum and co-sponsored by B8 of Hope. Bereaved Palestinian and Israeli family members shared their stories and their hopes for future generations. She attended alongside Rwandan peace activist Marguerite Barankitse, whose own experience of reconciliation and healing added another dimension to the evening.

At its most meaningful, international engagement is not about speaking in place of activists. It is about helping their ideas travel, connecting them with people who can open doors, and ensuring that those developing alternatives on the ground are present in the conversations that shape their future.