The Mossawa Center is dedicated to empowering Palestinian civil society Israel as a whole and strengthening grassroots community initiatives.
The Mossawa Center’s civil society and community programs are dedicated to empowering Palestinian Arab communities through grassroots mobilization, civic engagement, and cross-community collaboration. These programs focus on strengthening local leadership, fostering solidarity among marginalized groups, and ensuring the active participation of civil society organizations in decision-making processes. Through capacity-building workshops, legal support initiatives, emergency response networks, and cultural preservation projects, the Mossawa Center works to equip Palestinian Arab citizens and HAMER (Haredi, Arab, Mizrahi, Ethiopian, and Russian-speaking) communities with the tools necessary to advocate for their rights and strengthen their communities.
A key pillar of the Mossawa Center’s work is supporting and strengthening Palestinian Arab civil society organizations (CSOs). Through training sessions, networking initiatives, and advocacy campaigns, the Mossawa Center enhances the institutional capacity of local NGOs and grassroots movements, ensuring they can effectively respond to social and political challenges.
The Mossawa Center plays an active role in facilitating collaboration between Palestinian Arab CSOs and international partners, enabling local organizations to secure funding, policy support, and strategic guidance from global advocacy networks. By offering training on grant writing, legal frameworks, and media engagement, the Mossawa Center ensures that Palestinian Arab civil society organizations can operate sustainably and amplify their impact. In recent years, these efforts have resulted in stronger coalitions advocating for social justice, legal rights, and economic development within the Palestinian Arab community.
During times of political crises and escalating violence, the Mossawa Center has served as a vital resource for Palestinian Arab citizens facing legal and social hardships. The Mossawa Center has established emergency response networks that provide legal aid, psychological support, and community assistance to individuals affected by arrests, workplace discrimination, and state repression.
Since the outbreak of the war on Gaza, the Mossawa Center has documented widespread violations against Palestinian Arab citizens, including cases of wrongful terminations, police brutality, and government censorship of dissenting voices. To counter these challenges, the Mossawa Center has mobilized legal teams to offer pro bono representation, filed petitions against discriminatory policies, and provided resources to individuals seeking to challenge injustices in the legal system. These emergency initiatives ensure that Palestinian Arab citizens do not face systemic oppression in isolation but are supported by a strong network of advocates and legal professionals.
The Mossawa Center has prioritized developing leadership capacity within Palestinian Arab local councils and municipalities, recognizing that strong local governance is crucial for securing resources, improving public services, and advocating for policy reforms. Through strategic planning workshops and governance training, the Mossawa Center has worked closely with mayors, council members, and municipal staff to enhance their ability to navigate government bureaucracy, engage in budget negotiations, and implement community-led initiatives.
The Mossawa Center has also been instrumental in increasing the representation of Palestinian Arab women in local politics. By equipping female leaders with advocacy tools, political training, and coalition-building strategies, the Mossawa Center has helped expand the role of women in municipal decision-making processes. These efforts have resulted in the growth of female representation in local councils, contributing to a more inclusive and equitable political landscape.
Recognizing the importance of cultural heritage in fostering resilience and strengthening collective identity, the Mossawa Center has invested in programs that preserve Palestinian Arab traditions, narratives, and historical sites. Through storytelling workshops, heritage tours, and artistic collaborations, the Mossawa Center promotes the transmission of Palestinian cultural identity across generations, ensuring that young Palestinian Arabs remain connected to their history and heritage.
A major component of this work involves advocating for the protection and restoration of historical Palestinian landmarks and community spaces, which are often at risk due to urban development policies that prioritize Jewish settlement expansion. The Mossawa Center works with local activists, historians, and cultural organizations to document, preserve, and promote Palestinian Arab historical sites as integral parts of the national heritage.
The Mossawa Center actively encourages youth involvement in community service and advocacy, recognizing that engaging young people is essential for the sustainability of civil society efforts. The Mossawa Center has established youth leadership training programs that focus on public speaking, legal rights awareness, and civic participation, equipping young Palestinian Arabs with the skills needed to organize campaigns, advocate for policy reforms, and engage in local governance.
Volunteer initiatives, such as community clean-up efforts, tutoring programs for underserved students, and social assistance projects for vulnerable populations, have further strengthened social cohesion and civic responsibility within Palestinian Arab communities. These initiatives not only provide immediate support to community members in need but also instill a sense of collective empowerment among Palestinian Arab youth.
As part of the Solidarity Project, the Mossawa Center has fostered collaboration between Palestinian Arab civil society organizations and other HAMER communities, working to create shared advocacy platforms and joint initiatives. Through cross-cultural exchanges, joint policy discussions, and solidarity-building efforts, the Mossawa Center has amplified the voices of historically marginalized groups, ensuring that their struggles for equality and justice are interconnected and mutually reinforced.
This solidarity work has been particularly impactful in mixed cities, where Palestinian Arabs, Mizrahim, Ethiopians, and Russian-speaking immigrants face common challenges related to discrimination, underfunding, and political exclusion. By bridging these communities through shared advocacy goals, the Mossawa Center has strengthened collective resistance against systemic injustices.