Throughout 2011, I worked with ten Israeli rights NGOs defending Palestinian rights, using data, focus groups, structured conversations and brainstorming to figure out how they could better reach the Israeli public, which was largely hostile towards them. Our suggestions included highlighting the work NGOs do for Israelis and not just for Palestinians; taking a cooperative rather than combative approach to Israeli authorities; and creating better inter-NGO collaboration. (For the project background, see here.)
My research also identified messages that could help groups communicate better with Israelis. Among other ideas, I recommended that these NGOs acknowledge the complexity of their work, and admit fallibility; convey that they are not opposed to Israeli society or identity; and emphasize that human rights are essential to democracy. I also identified new target groups for advocacy, including people who did not currently support Israelis NGOs working on Palestinian rights, but nonetheless demonstrated openness to human rights ideas.
The Israeli NGOs I worked with were free to use, ignore or adapt these recommendations. To see what they chose to do, I recently asked many of these groups what had changed since then. Most felt Israeli public opinion was just as bad as in 2011, or even worse; legislation to limit their activities is now pending in the Israeli parliament. Although the precise impact of the project is hard to measure, many NGOs said they had taken important insights from our work in 2011.
