Amid the rockets flying overhead between Israel and Iran, the ongoing horrific war in Gaza, violent incursions by illegal Israeli settlers, uprooting of ancient olive trees, home demolitions, destruction of local infrastructure, and random shooting of young men who live on the West Bank, the Palestinian House of Friendship (PHF) is pulling off a miracle.

Mohammed Sawalha, founder and director of PHF, has visited Northampton many times over the past 20 years to raise funds for PHF’s summer camps, after-school programs, skateboard park, and music studio. Now he has developed a program for adults that he calls Building a New Democratic Society.

In spite of the fact that the West Bank has been under Israeli military occupation for 57 years, since 1967, and there have been no elections in Palestine since 2006, Sawalha has organized a series of workshops that engage participants in the components of a vibrant civil society.

In the workshops, local leaders discuss the meaning and history of democracy, how to be an informed voter, how to campaign for office, debating skills, how to develop and evaluate legislative programs, how to address corruption and bribery, and the importance of inclusiveness, especially for women and minorities.

Since September, four day-long workshops have been held: one in the city of Nablus, one in the village of Asira al Shamaliya, one in the al Askar refugee camp, and most recently one in a Bedouin community in the Jordan Valley called al Aqrabaniya. Military checkpoints on the road stopped 12 men from attending this fourth gathering, but their wives came in their places.

The women were articulate, literate, and thoughtful in the way they discussed the issues of democracy and civil society. Speakers were a female political activist, a local lawyer, and Sawalha himself. All participants are committed to becoming part of a Palestinian Monitoring Committee whenever future elections may take place on the West Bank.

Sawalha believes these workshops can be a catalyst in building a Palestinian democracy movement, and they will encourage Palestinians to become more involved in the determination of their identity, their future, and the future of their children. When commenting on the disastrous situation enveloping Gaza and the West Bank today, he says that “catastrophes can provide opportunities for change.”

Evaluations of the effectiveness of the workshops will be undertaken in the coming month, and then more workshops are planned for hundreds of citizens in communities throughout the West Bank.

Of course, expenses will be incurred for travel, refreshments, renting space for the meetings, and trainers, so the American Friends of PHF (AFPHF) is asking for donations to help support this amazing, optimistic, and future-oriented project. There is a “donate” button on the PHF website, palestinianhouseoffriendshipcom.wordpress.com/donate/.

Or readers can send a check made out to EarthAction (AFPHF’s fiscal sponsor), write ‘PHF’ in the memo line, and mail it to EarthAction-PHF, P.O. Box 63, Amherst MA 01004. All donations are tax-deductible.

We hope that readers will not only contribute but spread the word about what this small community organization is accomplishing on the West Bank. In the maelstrom of today’s Middle East there is a small spark of hope burning in Nablus. When Palestine achieves autonomy, these Palestinians will be ready.

Katharine Baker of Northampton is a member of the American Friends of PHF.