Preparing Communities for Resilience in the Face of Settler Violence
” Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. “
– Matthew 5:9
Across the West Bank, Palestinian communities are facing a growing and painful reality: the escalation of settler violence, attacks, intimidation, displacement, and daily insecurity. For many families, especially in vulnerable areas of Bethlehem and Hebron, these attacks are not only a physical threat, but also a deep emotional and collective trauma.
At Holy Land Trust, we believe that communities must not be left alone in the face of fear and violence. Our mission calls us to stand with people, strengthen their resilience, protect dignity, and transform trauma into hope.
This is why we are currently implementing the Community Emergency Preparedness pilot project in Bethlehem and Hebron. The goal of this project is to support Palestinian communities in becoming better prepared to respond to settler violence and attacks in ways that protect lives, reduce harm, preserve evidence, and strengthen community resilience.
As part of this project, Holy Land Trust is working to develop a practical training curriculum for communities around three key topics:
De-escalating Settler Attacks Equipping community members with tools and guidance to respond to incidents in a way that protects lives, reduces harm, and supports safer community action during moments of danger.
Effective Witnessing Strengthening responsible and safe documentation of incidents, preservation of evidence, and the use of formal complaint channels in a way that enhances accountability of extremist perpetrators and relevant duty bearers.
Mental Health and Psychological First Aid Preserving dignity through psychosocial support and helping community members respond to fear, shock, and trauma with care, compassion, and practical first steps toward healing.
This work is not only about training. It is about preparing communities for the future. It is about helping people know what to do when they are afraid, how to protect one another, how to document what is happening, and how to support those who are emotionally affected by violence.
In a time when many Palestinian communities are being pushed into isolation and fear, Holy Land Trust is working to build preparedness, solidarity, and hope.
As part of the Grassroots to Global program, Lara Mitri represented Holy Land Trust in the Generation to Generation partners’ workshop held in Nairobi, Kenya, from June 1–5, 2026.
The workshop brought together partners from Palestine , Afghanistan , the Democratic Republic of Congo , and Niger for five days of exchange, reflection, and shared learning.
Lara shared Holy Land Trust’s experience in implementing Generation to Generation – 5th Edition , highlighting its focus on women and youth resilience, storytelling, media literacy, psychosocial support, and advocacy.
As part of Generation to Generation – 5th Edition , Holy Land Trust continued its media literacy training in cooperation with Radio Nisaa FM / Nisaa Media Incubator .
On June 13, 2026, participants joined the 10th training session, led by journalist Muhanad Adam , Director of Journalism Trainings at Nisaa Media Incubator .
The session focused on critical engagement with media and practical radio production skills. Participants worked in groups to develop and present radio interview scenarios, strengthening communication, teamwork, and critical thinking.
Today, we ask for your solidarity in two important ways.
First, we invite experts, trainers, NGOs, human rights organizations, psychosocial support professionals, peacebuilders, and international friends to share their experience with us in one of the three training areas: de-escalation, effective witnessing, or psychological first aid. Your knowledge can help us develop practical tools that may save lives, reduce harm, and strengthen the resilience of communities facing settler violence.
Second, we call on our friends around the world to raise their voices. Settler violence must stop. Palestinian communities must be protected. There must be accountability for violence, intimidation, displacement, and daily attacks against Palestinian families across the West Bank.
Together, we can help communities move from fear to preparedness, from trauma to resilience, and from isolation to solidarity.
Today, Palestinian communities are facing new forms of violence and fear. Our role at Holy Land Trust is to stand beside them, listen to their reality, and help transform trauma into preparedness, resilience, and hope. We invite our friends and partners around the world to walk with us in this urgent work.
Elias Deis,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
