Our Voice in This Moment
The past year has been one of unprecedented challenges and tragedy, for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
2023 began with the Netanyahu government’s proposed judicial overhaul. The increasing normalization of far-right extremism, and acceleration of West Bank annexation threatened the very foundations of Israeli democracy and prospects for addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Through the spring and summer of 2023, Israel’s social cohesion, the shared values that undergird the U.S.-Israel relationship, and Israel’s ties with diaspora Jews were pushed to the limits like never before.
And then, the unthinkable happened. The atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7 not only left Israelis traumatized, but also challenged a core promise of the state to keep Jews safe, upended basic assumptions about Israel’s security, and sowed fear and mistrust across Israeli society. Israel was thrust into a war it did not choose, in order to defend its citizens, return those taken captive, and ensure Hamas never again has the ability to use Gaza as a staging ground for terror and rocket attacks. But as the war has moved forward, a vision for the future has not. Hamas remains in Gaza, along with Israeli hostages. The war has wrought a tragic humanitarian crisis and devastated Palestinian lives and livelihoods. And rising extremism among both Israelis and Palestinians continues to pose a mounting threat to the future of both peoples in the region.
All of these events have left American Jews in the crossfire. Amidst the heightened protests and posturing of activists and politicians alike, we live in an environment where it is difficult to find credible information and clear-headed analysis. And the conflict is so often framed as a zero-sum game that pits identity against values.
Israel Policy Forum disrupts this paradigm. Guided by our commitment to a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike, we offer constructive policy analysis and recommendations, and educational content attuned to the complex reality on the ground—while recognizing the basic truth that neither people can or should go anywhere else.
Following October 7, we witnessed a surge in demand for our content online, in Washington, and Jewish communities, where we regularly partner with local and national organizations across the country.
Our flagship IPF Atid program has become among the fastest-growing, most dynamic, and diverse platforms for young American Jews seeking nuance, connection, and informed and respectful debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the future of a secure, Jewish, democratic Israel.
Israelis and Palestinians—and their supporters abroad—have never been more polarized. October 7 and the ensuing war have exacerbated hopelessness among Israelis and Palestinians that the other side will ever be willing to accept their legitimacy or even basic humanity.
But this upheaval also brings an unprecedented opportunity for effective U.S. leadership toward bolstering Israel’s regional acceptance and charting a viable long-term path toward a future that enables Palestinian aspirations to be fulfilled, and Israel’s paramount security needs to be safeguarded.
In this moment, our voice has never been more essential.