Our Work
Supporting resilience, documenting abuses, and building community in Hebron through nonviolent resistance, protection, storytelling, and community programs.
What we do
Overview
Our programs
Nonviolent Resistance & Organizing
Youth Against Settlements (YAS)
Youth Against Settlements is a nonviolent direct action group that works to end the expansion of settlements through civil resistance. It empowers Palestinians, especially youth, to remain in their homes and engage in nonviolent resistance. Founded by Issa Amro, YAS trains community members in the theory and practice of nonviolence, organizes direct actions and demonstrations, and builds coalitions with international solidarity organizations. YAS has been at the center of some of the most significant moments of Palestinian nonviolent resistance in Hebron over the past two decades.
NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE
Issa's House (YAS Center)
Located in the H2 area of Hebron, Issa's House is the heart of community activity and a central gathering place. It hosts trainings, workshops, and events, and serves as a meeting point for local residents and international visitors. The house was reclaimed through a successful nonviolent campaign by Issa Amro and Palestinian activists in 2006 — situated directly next to an Israeli army base and illegal settlement. It has since become a symbol of Palestinian steadfastness and the power of nonviolent organizing. The center welcomes volunteers, delegations, journalists, and community members throughout the year.
COMMUNITY HUB
Protection & Immediate Support
Protect a Family
We equip families living near settlements with protective infrastructure — reinforced homes, security alarms, and cameras — to protect against settler violence and military harassment. Families in H2 face ongoing threats to their safety and property. By providing physical protection and documentation tools, we help families feel safer and more able to remain in their homes. Your donation directly funds this work.
PROTECTION
Countersurveillance
Training community members to document and counter the surveillance systems used to monitor, restrict, and control Palestinian movement in H2. As facial recognition and other surveillance technologies are increasingly deployed against Palestinians, we work to raise awareness, document their use, and support communities in understanding and resisting these systems.
PROTECTION
Kifah Observer Group
A Palestinian-led observer group established in 2019 to counteract the expulsion of TIPH (Temporary International Presence in Hebron) from the city. When Israel expelled TIPH after 20 years — following a confidential report documenting more than 40,000 violations of international law — Palestinian activists established their own observer group to continue monitoring and documenting violations in H2. Kifah maintains a protective presence and continues the documentation work that international observers once provided.
MONITORING & PRESENCE
Storytelling & Documentation
Human Rights Press
We document human rights violations to inform, prevent, and denounce abuses, and to support accountability through photo and video evidence. Our documentation work builds a record of violations — settler attacks, military harassment, home demolitions, movement restrictions — that can be used by human rights organizations, journalists, legal advocates, and international bodies. Documentation is both a form of protection and a form of nonviolent resistance.
DOCUMENTATION
Humans of Hebron
We share stories of everyday life through photography and interviews, allowing people to tell their own stories beyond the conditions of occupation. Inspired by the Humans of New York format, Humans of Hebron centers Palestinian voices and human experiences — the textures of daily life, family, memory, and resilience that are often invisible in news coverage of the conflict. These stories are shared on social media and through our publications.
STORYTELLING
Ahmad Film House
A community cinema and cultural space that brings people together to watch, discuss, and create films reflecting their lives and experiences under occupation. Ahmad Film House is named in memory of Ahmad, a member of the Hebron community. It serves as a space for cultural expression, community gathering, and nonviolent resistance through art. The film house hosts screenings, filmmaking workshops, and community events, and has become an important cultural institution in Tel Rumeida.
FILM & CULTURE
Community & Resilience
Children's Programs
We organize activities for children living under severe restrictions to provide safe spaces for play, learning, and emotional support. Children in H2 grow up under military occupation — their movement restricted, their streets controlled, their daily lives shaped by checkpoints and the presence of soldiers and settlers. Our children's programs offer spaces of normalcy, joy, and connection that are essential to their wellbeing and resilience.
YOUTH & EDUCATION
Om Campaign
Om (Mother) is a collaborative photography project by Barbara Debeuckelaere (Belgian) and the women of eight families from Tel Rumeida in Hebron, Palestine. The Palestinian women document their lives, their homes, and their immediate surroundings. Every family put forward their most urgent needs, and with Friends of Hebron, the money goes to supporting their wishes — home upgrades, water tanks, and other improvements — in taking care of their house and land and in staying put. The Om Campaign is a model of solidarity that centers Palestinian women's voices and material needs simultaneously.
PHOTOGRAPHY & SOLIDARITY
Olive Harvest
Each October and November, we join Palestinian families in the ancient tradition of the olive harvest. Harvesting olives is both an act of steadfastness — remaining on the land — and a vital source of income for Palestinian families. International volunteers join the harvest alongside community members, providing protective presence and solidarity. The olive tree is a symbol of Palestinian rootedness and resilience, and the harvest is one of the most meaningful ways to connect with the community and its land.
LAND & STEADFASTNESS
We provide emergency aid to hard-hit families. People face economic devastation alongside severe restrictions and curfews. Unemployment leaves many unable to provide for their families. We pack aid boxes of food and basic household supplies and carry them through the checkpoints directly to people's doorsteps. To lift spirits during the holy month of fasting, we also hang Ramadan lights in families' windows and bring toys for the children.
SOLIDARITY AND STEADFASTNESS
Humanitarian Aid
Education & International Outreach
Educational Tours in Hebron
Guided visits for international delegations, students, journalists, and policymakers to see the situation firsthand. Our tours are led by community members and human rights defenders who live and work in H2. Visitors meet families, walk through the Old City, and hear directly from those affected by occupation. In doubt about where to stand on Israel-Palestine? Visit Hebron and see the situation with your own eyes.
EDUCATION
International Speaking
Each October and November, we join Palestinian families in the ancient tradition of the olive harvest. Harvesting olives is both an act of steadfastness — remaining on the land — and a vital source of income for Palestinian families. International volunteers join the harvest alongside community members, providing protective presence and solidarity. The olive tree is a symbol of Palestinian rootedness and resilience, and the harvest is one of the most meaningful ways to connect with the community and its land.
GLOBAL REPRESENTATION
Campaigns
Including the Open Shuhada Street campaign, Congressional and parliamentary letters, and UN Human Rights Council participation — building political pressure for accountability and change on behalf of the Palestinian community in Hebron.
ACCOUNTABILITY ACTIONS
Workshops
Nonviolence training and human rights education workshops for communities, universities, and organizations internationally. We share the tools and philosophy of nonviolent resistance developed through decades of experience on the ground in Hebron.
EDUCATION
Legal Support
Supporting legal outreach on behalf of families in Hebron in partnership with other human rights organizations. We also provide legal training and consultations.
DEFENSE
