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New Story Leadership

NSL INTRODUCES:

A holistic plan to build a post-conflict society in Israel and Palestine,

jointly designed by Palestinians and Israelis.

 

WHY THE PHOENIX PLAN?

Each year since 2009, NSL has recruited and competitively selected the most accomplished and high-potential Palestinian and Israeli young adults, 19-35 years old. Every summer, NSL brings ten new delegates to Washington, where they live together with host families, work together on Capitol Hill, and train together with DC’s best. They tell their stories and advocate for their shared homeland throughout Congress, foreign embassies, the State Department, and faith-based audiences across the Washington DC area. NSL has been proud to elevate the voices of the next generation of leaders committed to working together for justice and peace.

But October 7, 2023, changed things…

October 7th and its aftermath changed everything.  Soon after the war started, we reached out to our alumni to check on their safety and ask them what they would like NSL to do.  Ten brave NSL alumni - Muslim, Jewish, and Christian - from Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem decided to move forward together.  

First, the group crafted a joint statement on October 19th, 2023 calling for an immediate ceasefire and hostage release. NSL distributed this statement throughout our Congressional network and met with Members of Congress and their staff, but they also realized that this was not nearly enough. 

After months of research, discussion, and an intense week together in Geneva, these young leaders negotiated and drafted The Phoenix Plan.  This plan goes much further than the call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and freeing all hostages. The Phoenix Plan sets forth a framework for what needs to happen after the fighting stops.  It sets forth an actionable path forward towards peace, justice, security, and self-determination for both Palestinians and Israelis for generations to come.  

 

NSL has launched its fundraising campaign to support its core programming and strategic priorities for the Phoenix Plan in 2025

Fundraiser to support the Phoenix Plan

Click the image to support NSL and the Phoenix Plan

 
 

WHAT MAKES THIS PLAN UNIQUE?

  • We wrote the plan together, addressing the real needs of Palestinians and Israelis in the region rather than top-down assumptions from the military/security sector.

  • We’ve lived through many rounds of violent escalation that ended with a ceasefire, for things to just escalate again.

    With the Phoenix Plan, we are building a foundation for long-lasting peace, giving Israelis and Palestinians a real chance at a safe and secure reality.

  • While the mainstream discourse tries to force people and policies into “Pro-Palestinian” and “Pro-Israeli,” we know that our fate is deeply intertwined.

    For a lasting peace, we need to consider both peoples at the same time.

 

Change Starts Here.

 
 

Check out our latest video explaining New Story Leadership!

 
 

D.C. LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

After two years of virtual programming, NSL is excited to launch our in-person leadership program in Washington D.C. NSL’s program focuses on the power of stories as a way to empower young people from the region to use their voices collectively and advocate for change. American host families, Congressional work-placements with various Congresswoman and men, leadership training, building allies across the separation wall, and a platform to speak truth to power are the pieces that make NSL unique in the peace-building field.

Read More →

 

STORIES ARE THE HEART OF NSL

Stories make New Story Leadership different from any other program. NSL focuses on the power of stories as the way for change. For too long, Palestinians and Israelis have been trapped in the old story of war, mistrust, and hatred. Their stories exclude the other side from even being heard. NSL's goal is to change that. We invite people to step away from their defended positions, and their ideological fortresses and to listen, to really listen, to the stories of the other.

Read More →

 

Thank You #SHELEADS COHORT!

“The work is hard. The immensity of what needs to be done is discouraging. But you look at communities that are struggling on a daily basis. They keep on---and in the eyes of the people there, you are a symbol of hope. And so you, too, must keep on. You are not at liberty to give up”.
― Leymah Gbowee, Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War

 
 
 

NSL EMPOWERS FUTURE LEADERS OF PALESTINE AND ISRAEL TO SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER AND CREATE CHANGE WITH SOCIAL IMPACT.

  • $6,000 ALLOWS ANOTHER DELEGATE TO ATTEND OUR LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

  • $5,000 CAN LAUNCH A PROJECTS FOR CHANGE IN PALESTINE AND ISRAEL

  • $100 COVERS MONTHLY ONLINE LOGISTICAL EXPENSES

    “For the impact you make today has a powerful rippling effect on every tomorrow.”

 

LATEST NEWS

#SheLeads Gender Lens Leadership Program

Looking back at the past 50 years of negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, we keep seeing the same story - a room full of men making the decisions. Women make up around 50% of the population in both Israel and Palestine but are severely underrepresented in leadership positions. Israeli and Palestinian women continue to be sidelined, silenced, and systematically oppressed. It’s time for women to have a seat at the table and be part of the decision making process. 

 #SheLeads is a gender lens leadership program that will train, mobilize, and unite women from Israel and Palestine who are committed to becoming leaders in their respective fields, and are interested in building an allyship with each other to expand their perspectives and knowledge.  

In partnership with the U.S. Embassy of Jerusalem.

CHANGE STARTS HERE.  

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