Toward a New Palestinian Dawn:
The Palestinian Nonviolence Charter

From the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea—and from throughout the world—Palestinians from all walks of life, in every city, village and refugee camp join together with unwavering will and resilient intent to establish a democratic, sovereign, and free nation. To fulfill this moral obligation, we will pursue a comprehensive plan for community building and leadership development through a path of nonviolence. We are confident that we will emerge from our long-standing struggle for self-determination stronger, wiser, and whole. 

We adopt nonviolence as a unifying identity and put it into action as a driving belief. It is the moral compass for our personal practice—and for a collective national approach. By embodying compassion and understanding, nonviolence empowers healing and deepens our belonging to the land. This is how we build the societal strength necessary to overcome all obstacles and gain our rights, inspired by similar struggles around the globe. In our efforts, we will confront unjust systems and conventions that oppress people. It is these systems and the fear in the hearts of those who uphold them that are the true obstacles to freedom and progress.

We invite all who embrace ideals of human dignity, justice and peace to join us in charting a new destiny: sisters and brothers of any age, family, or creed; social organizations, businesses, political entities and movements—no matter who or where you are. Stand with us, united, as we rise to claim what is rightfully ours: our basic human rights and freedom. Stand with us as we build a growing movement for a peaceful societal transformation with collective courage, tenacity, and commitment to high principles of nonviolent resistance. Stand with us to demand that outside parties stop investing in initiatives that fuel the conflict—and join us in investing in solution.

Decades of relentless Israeli military occupation have sown seeds of suffering and despair, threatening our will to hope for a peaceful solution. Walls, checkpoints, settlements, segregated roads and invasive security measures are implemented daily at the expense of our Palestinian identity and fundamental legal rights. 

We experience such injustice daily and bear no illusion that nonviolence can erase our deep anger or pain. Instead, we are committed to channeling our pain and anger into positive actions that serve our vision. We withdraw our cooperation from the paradigm of hate.  Instead, we channel our pain and anger into positive actions that serve our vision.

We stand committed to end injustice and overcome the legacy of others' unilateral actions. We are firm in our determination not to give up or surrender to the hopelessness and despair that prevent us from creating a new environment built on values of human dignity and equal rights.

Our collective decision is to devote all our efforts to accomplish two most critical objectives:

1. To institute a model of self-governance that guarantees full representation and the active engagement of civil society in leadership.  

2. To end the Israeli military occupation and achieve independence, freedom, and security for all.​​

The challenges ahead are enormous and numerous. Nonetheless, we firmly believe that nonviolence is the only effective and moral approach to achieving our goals.  Actions that meet human needs can cultivate an environment where visions are manifest and solutions become possible. Walking this difficult path requires courageous action and earnest accountability from each of us, from civil society, and from our governing institutions.

We want communities across Palestine to prosper by playing an instrumental role in their own development efforts; we want our institutions to be strong and inclusive; most importantly, we want our youth and women to fully engage in roles and responsibilities of decision-making and leadership.

The past carries unforgettable trauma and pain across the land and among generations of refugees; yet we choose to transform victimhood into agency. We want to be the authors of our future. We envision a solution to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict that guarantees our just rights to independence and self-governance, freedom, dignity, and a secure life for all the peoples of this land. 

We have deep roots in this land we love, a land that has stood longer than time and withstood the test of time. We long to live our lives to the fullest, peacefully, here in our homeland. And when each of us passes on, we will have done all in our power to transcend this conflict and become an inspiration to the world, engaged together in celebrating our common humanity—in this land where we belong.