About

Givat Haviva and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Israel embarked on The Locals – Eye Level Dialogue in 2019, to reach audiences in the heart of Israeli society, who had not given any thought to the effect of the Nationality Law and its implications on Arab citizens and on Israeli society at large.

The campaign features videos of Arabs from different vocations who are involved in Israeli society. We felt it was important to show the Israeli public how the interviewees felt about the Law.

We did not presume to offer concrete solutions, rather tried to evoke interest and conversation on the subject, in hope of encouraging understanding of the problematic situation and its effect on the citizens of the country.

As a result of the extensive social media campaign, a vibrant and meaningful discussion ensued. Both Jews and Arabs participated in the discussion.

We realized that there is great need and potential in open dialogue regarding various issues Israel’s Arab citizens care about, and the different ways Jews and Arabs can communicate, get better acquainted and more trusting, making the state of Israel a better place for all of us – Jewish and Arab. So we decided to continue this project, using it to expose more issues affecting Jewish-Arab relations in Israel, going deeper into them and building the necessary infrastructure for a shared society in Israel.