LFI’s new Voices for Change project gives those in Israel striving for democratic values, social justice and peace the opportunity to share their challenges, hopes and achievements. Spanning six key areas – strengthening democracy, shared society, gender and sexual equality, Israeli-Palestinian peacebuilding, regional peacebuilding, and social justice – we are giving a voice to activists, researchers and changemakers who come from different backgrounds and work in different fields – but who share a commitment to the values of equality, democracy and peace envisaged in Israel’s Declaration of Independence.
Officially launched in Liverpool at Labour Party conference, these voices for change are charting a different path from the one set out by the current Israeli government – towards peace, social justice and a strengthened democracy. Together, they offer a hopeful mosaic of voices pushing back against the empty politics of division and fear.
You can read more about Voices for Change here.
Explore Voices for Change
A just, democratic society requires gender equality by Tal Hochman
Last April, several months after the outbreak of the war with Hamas, Iran launched its first rocket attack on Israel. Panic spread across the country, and the government decided to shut down all educational institutions. But then, at 1 in the morning and just a few hours before the school day was set to begin, it reversed its decision. As in many parts of the world, women in Israel are still the primary caregivers. Many of the women reading this will understand the chaos that such a last-minute change can cause.
Sowing regional seeds of hope by Eli Bar-On, Dr Najah Al Otaibi and Ghanem Nuseiben
In May, at the historic Château d’Ermenonville outside Paris, something remarkable happened. Dozens of leaders from across the Middle East and North Africa – Israelis, Palestinians, Moroccans, Egyptians, Bahrainis, Jordanians and many others – gathered not to debate borders or assign blame, but to design cross-border solutions to two of the region’s most urgent challenges: food and water security. In a region often framed by division, this was an act of cooperation, trust and hope.
Justice for atrocities must matter by Yael Vias Gvirsman
As Robert Jackson, the chief US prosecutor, reminded the world at Nuremberg: “Civilisation cannot tolerate [these acts] being ignored, because it cannot survive their being repeated.” The trials at Nuremberg and, later, the Eichmann trial in Jerusalem, stand as defining moments in modern legal and moral history. They weren’t just about punishment – they were about truth. About ensuring the world could not turn away from atrocities. These trials gave voice to victims and established a vital principle: that law must rise above vengeance, and that atrocities must not go unaddressed.
Israel’s unions are fighting for its future by Peter Lerner
When I hung up my uniform after 25 years in the Israel Defence Forces, I thought I was stepping away from the frontlines. What I didn’t expect was that the most decisive battles for Israel’s future would not be fought with tanks or drones but with collective bargaining agreements, strike actions, and union organising.
A voice for the region’s concerned mothers by Naama Barak Wolfman
Since 7 October 2023, our lives have been marked by fear, grief and pain. Recent days have seen anger and frustration added to this unfortunate list. But, at Women Wage Peace, we refuse to let despair shape the future. We do not represent governments; we are mothers, citizens and activists who seek not mere survival, but security, dignity and hope for all.
Pursuing equality and democracy for all Israel’s citizens by Shahira Shalabi
The concept of democracy faces a profound challenge in today’s Israel. The definition of the state as both “Jewish and democratic” creates an inherent tension in relation to its Palestinian citizens. Also referred to, especially internationally, as Arab citizens of Israel, this population, constituting over 20 percent of Israeli society, continues to experience systemic inequality across multiple domains of public and private life. The gap between democratic ideals and lived reality, raises fundamental questions about citizenship, belonging, and the future of Israeli society as a whole.
A new generation of Bedouin leaders building a shared future by Menucha Saitowitz
At Desert Stars, we are building a new generation of Bedouin leaders – young people with the skills, vision and courage to shape not only the future of their own communities, but of Israeli society as a whole.
Check back on this page for more Voices for Change essays to come
Check back on this page for more Voices for Change essays to come
