Israeli-Palestinian relations are at all-time lows and getting worse. But there's another story building just beneath the surface. A network of thousands of Israelis and Palestinians building deep partnerships is gaining steam, and a U.S. law passed just weeks ago will invest hundreds of millions of dollars to scale up their efforts. Together, they're building schools, countering extremism and incitement, delivering clean water, launching start-ups, facilitating life-saving medical care, and building trust. Avi Meyerstein, longtime B'nai Israel member and the founder and president of the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP), will share an inside look.

Avi Meyerstein is the founder and president of the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP). In 2003, as a lawyer working pro bono, Avi brought together dozens of NGOs to join forces in a single umbrella coalition, creating ALLMEP. On behalf of the coalition, he then led a team of volunteer attorneys to develop proposals and advocacy strategies to significantly expand resources and scale up Israeli-Palestinian people-to-people activities. Their advocacy resulted in over $130 million in annual U.S. funding for Israeli-Palestinian people-to-people activities. Avi also proposed, launched, and has shepherded the initiative to create an international fund for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Those efforts most recently led to the bipartisan passage by Congress of the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act of 2020, which provides $250 million for joint economic and people-to-people projects. Avi continues to lead ALLMEP's board as its president. 

Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/788352437

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