About B8 of Hope

B8 of Hope began not as an institution, but as an encounter.

In 2016, in Geneva, a close-knit circle of eight friends came together across origins, identities, and faiths. They were Swiss, Canadian, Indian, Iranian, Israeli, and Palestinian; Jewish, Christian, and Muslim. Each carried different histories and perspectives. Yet they were united by a shared conviction: that beyond the noise of polarization, there were Palestinian and Israeli peacebuilders on the ground whose courage deserved to be seen, supported, and amplified.

The name B8 of Hope carries that beginning.

“Beit” means “home” in both Arabic and Hebrew. It is a word shared across languages and cultures, a reminder that dignity, belonging, safety, and future cannot belong to one people alone. The number 8 honors the eight co-founders who formed this alliance of friendship and practical solidarity.

The spark came through a powerful encounter with Ali Abu Awwad, a Palestinian advocate of nonviolence, who challenged the group to move beyond the familiar labels of pro-Israel and pro-Palestine. His message was clear: if people outside the region want to help, they can support those working on the ground for a peaceful solution.
That idea became the foundation of B8 of Hope.

We exist to support grassroots Palestinian and Israeli civil society initiatives working for dignity, equality, security, self-determination, mutual recognition, and a shared future. We are not neutral about human suffering, occupation, violence, fear, grief, trauma, or unequal rights. We are also not resigned to despair.

B8 of Hope is pro-solution.

Our role is to stand beside the people doing the difficult daily work of humanization, dialogue, reconciliation, nonviolent action, trauma healing, community organizing, co-resistance, co-creation, and practical solidarity. They are the heart of this work. We help them access funding, visibility, relationships, partnerships, and international support.

From Switzerland, we also work to create a different kind of conversation: one that honors both peoples’ rights, refuses dehumanization, and invites donors, diaspora communities, educators, civil society partners, foundations, media, and public audiences into constructive engagement.