The aftermath of an Iranian missile strike in Bat Yam, Israel. (Wikimedia Commons)
By Ben Murane, Executive Director
It was a relief earlier this week to wake up to the news of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. So far, this fragile truce holds and we hope it leads to more lasting diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflicts that have for so long wracked the region.
Last week, we shared a message from Daniel Sokatch, NIF’s international CEO. The war with Iran had just begun and communities across Israel were bracing for impact. He shared NIF’s plans to defend democratic freedoms during war, to never lose sight of Gaza and the West Bank, and to protect the most vulnerable in Israel. Since then, the scale of devastation—and the gaps in protection—have only grown. But so too has the courage and coordination of civil society across the country.
Today I want to tell you how NIFC is supporting this life-saving work and what it looks like in action. We know that Arab citizens often get left behind during emergency times, and these past days were no different. Some of our efforts to address this inequity were in response to the recent escalation; others have been going on for much longer.
Thanks to the generosity of donors from around the world, our Canadian-funded partners on the ground have been stepping up across Israel and responding to critical needs that the state has failed to meet:
- Israel Women’s Network has a women’s rights hotline that has been alarmingly filled with calls by women and mothers facing inadequate government support while their partners are called up again to military service – or worse, intimate partner violence once those soldiers return home.
- In the Negev, where few Bedouin communities have access to bomb shelters or formal emergency services, Bimkom: Planners for Planning Rights published an extensive report on the lack of bomb shelters and is pushing the government to extend alerts, shelters, and education resources to communities long denied them.
- In the arena of ideas, the experts on foreign policy Mitvim: The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Studies launched a policy centre on Iran relations barely a year ago, which is countering heated wartime rhetoric with sober-minded realism.
- Our flagship partner the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) mobilized immediately as the Israeli government used emergency wartime powers to temporarily shutter parts of the judiciary – notably those that oversee appeals against government actions.
These are just our Canadian-funded partners – and the wider NIF-funded civil society ecosystem is even more impressive. One incredible example is the NIF-coordinated Negev Emergency Response Center, reactivated after forming mapped out community needs, and coordinated assistance among 80-plus civil society groups. Volunteers reached families seeking shelter from Iranian missiles under bridges and in schools. Emergency teams tracked hospitalizations and supported bereaved families. Hotline workers provided trauma support.
All of this happened while missiles fell. While families struggled to find available public shelters. While racist incitement has spread.
And yet, our partners keep showing up, fuelled by their values and powered by the support of NIFC donors like you.
These heroic organizations did not just respond to the recent disaster. They are modelling the kind of infrastructure that a shared society demands. In their coordination, compassion, and clarity of purpose, they are building the conditions for justice—now, not later.
The New Israel Fund of Canada is not just supporting this work—we’re helping coordinate it. We and our grantees are working in tight partnership, across towns and sectors. Our network has held fast under immense pressure.
As we look ahead, unsurprisingly the damage to Israeli society of this twelve-day war with Iran is deep and will not vanish with a ceasefire. In the complexity of this moment, we at the New Israel Fund of Canada remember that 50 hostages are still held by Hamas, the senseless war and hunger in Gaza continues, the West Bank is in flames, and this extremist Israeli government continues its assault on democracy. Now more than ever, our eyes must stay focused on these realities.
Alongside our funded partners, we are demonstrating what it means to stand for Israeli democracy, dignity, and shared humanity—even in wartime.
For Further Reading
If you’re looking for more resources to understand the current situation with Iran, here are a few recommended articles and videos from the past few days:
- Mitvim’s experts react to the Iran war and how military means will not be enough to achieve victory.
- Former Canadian ambassador Jon Allen opines in the Toronto Star about how Canadians should see this moment.
- US foreign policy expert Aaron David Miller explains the Iran war on the Ezra Klein Show podcast and in this NIF webinar recording.
