Ta'ayush (Organization)

Ta'ayush (Hebrew: תעאיוש, Arabic: تعايش; lit. "coexistence" or "life in common") is a grassroots volunteer movement established in the fall of 2000 by a joint network of Palestinians and Jewish-Israelis to counter the nationalist reactions aroused by the Al-Aqsa Intifada. Its members are Arabs and Jews who engage in non-violent collective action and civil disobedience to eliminate and redress segregation, dehumanization, and apartheid by constructing a true Arab-Jewish partnership. Their stated vision is a "future of equality, justice and peace" engendered by sustained non-violent actions of solidarity to "end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and to achieve full civil equality for all." Working to decelerate and ultimately halt rapidly increasing land dispossession and displacement, they engage in a set of practices termed "protective presence." This is a distinctive form of resistance that involves documenting violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, as well as intervening to cease and prevent assault. Most learn or already speak enough Arabic to communicate with their Palestinian partners and residents of the South Hebron Hills.