Dear Friends,

From March 20 to 23, NVI Co-Directors, Michael Beer, Sami Awad, and board member Mohammed Abunimer, joined the Nuestra América Delegation to Cuba as part of a much larger international convoy of more than 600 people from around the world. We came as activists, artists, influencers, faith leaders, and community organizers, united by a simple conviction: the Cuban people should not be left alone under an embargo that continues to punish ordinary life.

The delegation was supported by CODEPINK, Progressive International, Global Health Partners, and Busboys and Poets, alongside a wider network that included The People’s Forum, Cuban Americans for Cuba, and Global Exchange.

It was our first time in Cuba! What we witnessed was not theoretical, was not news reports, was not propaganda. 

Havana looks like a movie set from the 1950s! The cars and buildings are stunning -- but so run down. During our time there, Cuba continued to experience major electrical outages, part of a broader energy crisis that has left entire neighborhoods in darkness and placed immense strain on daily life. The blackouts are tied to the suffocating impact of the U.S. embargo, including restrictions on oil and essential resources.

In Cuba, this is not an abstract policy debate. It means hospitals under pressure, food and medicine at risk, transportation disrupted, garbage piled in streets, markets shut, restaurants closed, and families forced to survive with less and less.

And yet what we encountered was not defeatism. It was resilience. Generosity. Dignity.

People gathered in the dark. They shared what they had. They played music and sang in the streets. We played spirited mixed-gender ultimate with them (with donated frisbees that Michael brought). That spirit stays with us.

For those of us Palestinians, this was deeply personal. We met with and were inspired by Cuban students and others from around the world including Palestinians. We know what it means to live under systems designed to isolate, weaken, and break a people. We know what it feels like when your suffering is discussed from a distance while you are still living inside it. In Cuba, we recognized something painfully familiar: a people being made to pay the price for refusing to submit.

That is why this trip was not only a solidarity visit with medical relief and aid but also an act of nonviolent defiance.

This said, the convoy defied the embargo and carried real material support. Around 20 tons of aid were delivered, including food, medicine, solar panels, and bicycles. The delegation we were part of brought thousands of pounds of medical supplies and over a hundred suitcases and boxes of humanitarian aid, all going directly to hospitals and health workers facing severe shortages.

After we returned, the delegation faced attacks and accusations meant to discredit the trip and turn solidarity into suspicion. We reject that. People can debate politics from afar, but we know what we saw. The US has no problem engaging and trading with the communist parties of Vietnam, China, Nepal, and Laos. We saw a country under enormous pressure. We saw communities enduring blackouts and shortages. We saw doctors, families, churches, and neighbors doing their best to hold life together. And we saw hundreds of people from across the world choosing not to look away.

The embargo is not just policy, it is collective punishment.

What we carried back from Cuba was more than memory, it was clarity.

The Palestine and Cuba siege are connected, and so must be our response.

What can you do?

• Learn. Stay informed. Support organizations like the ones mentioned above.
• Refuse the narratives that justify collective punishment and oppose US unilateral sanctions on Palestine, Cuba and many other countries.
• Use your voice—in your communities, your platforms, your spaces.
• And find ways—big or small—to stand in real solidarity, including joining future delegations. Visit CUBA!

With Nonviolent Defiance,
Mohammed Abunimer, Michael Beer & Sami Awad

P.S. Please remember to attend our round table Field Testing Israeli Occupation Tech: The Palestine Lab on Sunday, April 19, 2026 3pm ET and see films in advance. This Round Table centers the human impact of this experimentation, examining how Palestinian lives are used as testing grounds for weapons, AI platforms, and policing tactics later exported worldwide. Join the Q&A discussion with: Omar Zahzah, Jeff Halper, Antony Loewenstein, Hassan El-Tayyab

You must register to join the discussion & receive access to the films 

While there is no equivalency in duration or depth of violence and impunity, we have an opportunity to learn from people who have resisted occupation their entire lives and from those who may or may not have experienced it comparatively recently. Speakers will share their lived experiences, contrast strategies of resistance, shared learning and explore opportunities for solidarity and collective action. Through this exchange, we aim to center community agency, hope, and shared learning, and uplifting practices of resilience and organizing.


The webinar will be hosted by Mel Duncan, from Minnesota, co-founder of the Nonviolent Peaceforce and organizer of the Unarmed Civilian Protection in Palestine (UCPiP). And speakers include Amira Musallam, Head of Mission of UCPiP, Maddie Moon, Minnesota community organizer, and Emilia Gonzalez Avalos, Executive Director for UNIDOS MN.

Join us for this important conversation by registering here. 

Goals:

• Share lessons learned from grassroots resistance in both contexts 

• Build and invite compassion and mutual understanding

• Identify opportunities for solidarity and collaboration between movements fighting occupation, displacement, and state violence

Dear friends,

Are you passionate about active nonviolence, social justice, and global movements for change? Do you want hands-on experience in nonprofit management, digital organizing, and international event coordination?

As a small but globally engaged organization, NVI relies on interns as integral members of our work. You will gain meaningful experience supporting programs, communications, digital outreach, and nonprofit operations while contributing directly to global nonviolent movements.

What You’ll Gain

• Direct exposure to global nonviolent activism and movement-building
• Experience in virtual event coordination and webinar production
• Hands-on nonprofit management and operations training
• Opportunity to shape and invest in projects aligned with your interests

Interns work closely with staff while also exercising independence, creativity, and initiative.
With guidance from staff, each intern will split their time between programmatic support, organizational outreach, and administrative tasks. Interns will also have the opportunity to invest significant time and work within their preferred projects of choice.

Internship Structure

• Remote position, from anywhere in the world
• From June to December 2026
• Must be able to commit to 2-3 team meetings per week at 9:30AM ET
• Minimum of 15 hours per week
• $500 USD monthly stipend
• Available to students and non-students
• Can be arranged for academic credit
• Possibility of extension by mutual agreement

Our Commitment to Equity

As nonviolent activists committed to social justice, we recognize that systems of violence disproportionately impact marginalized communities. We are committed to centering these communities in our work and strongly encourage applications from individuals who identify as members of marginalized communities.

Responsibilities

Event Management

• Support organizing and delivering global webinars
  
• Assist with technical management of live virtual events
• Engage diverse international audiences

Communications & Outreach

• Create website updates and blog posts
• Develop content for YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook
• Monitor and engage with online supporters
• Assist with digital storytelling and movement visibility

Data Management

• Update and expand the Nonviolent Tactics database (MySQL)
• Support maintenance of the nonviolence training archive (Omeka)

Website Maintenance

• Update and manage content using Nation Builder

Operations Support

• Learn internal donation workflows and how to use Zapier 
• Understand nonprofit compliance and responsibilities
• Support organizational systems and administrative tasks

Qualifications

We take a holistic approach to applications. We understand that your talents and lived experiences extend far beyond a one-page resume. While educational background and professional experience are considered, we equally value passion, curiosity, initiative, and commitment to nonviolent social change.

How to Apply

Please apply through our Idealist ad and send us the requested information and documents until April 23, 2026.

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us at [email protected]. 

Dear Friends,

The Middle East (West Asia), and the world, are facing deeply dangerous moments. 

The recent war by the United States and Israel on Iran has pushed an already fragile region closer to a wider and potentially devastating war. In moments like this, it can feel as though the machinery of violence moves unchecked, while ordinary people and civil society are left watching helplessly.

But history reminds us that this is precisely when our voices matter most.

Civil society has always carried a sacred responsibility in times of crisis: to speak when others are silent, to insist on humanity when violence dominates the headlines, and to remind the world that another path, embedded in nonviolence, is still possible.

A coalition of organizations is therefore launching an urgent international petition calling for immediate de-escalation, restraint, ceasefire and diplomacy instead of further militarization.

In the midst of despair, this is our moment to act together.

We invite NGOs, human rights organizations, faith communities, peace networks, and civil society groups to add their voices, to affirm that the expansion of the war is not inevitable.

Please sign your organization’s name to the appeal here by Tuesday, 10 March 2026.

This petition recognizes and encourages governments that have shown restraint, while urging all parties to step back from the brink and pursue diplomacy, accountability, and international law. But signing the petition is only the beginning.

At this critical time, we also encourage you to:

• Contact your government representatives and urge them to support immediate de-escalation and ceasefire efforts.
  • Share this appeal with partner organizations and networks so that more civil society groups can join.
  • Speak publicly for peace and for the protection of civilians across the region.

There are moments in history when the future feels uncertain and dark. Yet those same moments have often become the turning points when ordinary people and courageous organizations refused to accept that violence was inevitable.

We cannot control the decisions of governments or armies. But we can ensure that the voice of humanity, justice, and nonviolence is heard clearly across the world. Hope is not passive. It is something we practice together.

Let us take up that responsibility now.
Feel free to reach us at [email protected] or +1-202-244-0951.

In solidarity,

Nonviolence International

Nonviolence International is proud to announce our sponsorship of From Here Forward, a new initiative dedicated to strengthening leadership, advancing strategic documentation, and mobilizing moral and political pressure to end apartheid, occupation, and ethnic cleansing in Palestine.

Founded by Mattan Berner-Kadish, whose life has unfolded between the United States and Israel/Palestine, From Here Forward emerges at a moment of profound urgency.

From Grief to Responsibility

In the days following the murder of Awdah Hathaleen, Mattan found himself in conversations with activists and organizations asking a painful but necessary question: What comes next? One answer kept coming up repeatedly - that this horrific reality was not going to change without meaningful pressure from the United States and the international community.

Having witnessed firsthand how U.S. political decisions shape conditions on the ground, and having watched mainstream Israeli society grow increasingly apathetic, and in some cases even openly supportive, toward Palestinian suffering, Mattan concluded that inaction was no longer an option. Out of concern for the future of both Palestinians and Jews, and in response to rapidly deteriorating conditions, From Here Forward was born. 

Witnessing and Documenting Reality on the Ground

Central to the project is the role of firsthand documentation.

“It is far easier to convince someone to change their mind when your story starts with ‘I saw’ than when it starts with ‘I think,’” Mattan explains.

Over the past several years, documentation from the ground has profoundly shifted international understanding of what is happening in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. Images, testimony, and direct witness have made it harder to deny reality.

But Mattan recognizes that documentation alone is not enough - it is necessary that those telling those stories are sharing them strategically, not simply to inform, but to influence. Documentation must reach the rooms where decisions are made, pushing those in power to act differently. It must contribute to creating conditions in which what is documented no longer continues. 

From Here Forward seeks to build that bridge between witness and impact.

Understanding the System Behind Settler Violence

One of the largest gaps in international and U.S. understanding, Mattan notes, concerns the role of Israeli settler violence. “It does not require spending much time on the ground to see the extent to which settler terrorists are an arm of the state,” he says. “They work hand in hand with the army, Civil Administration, and police to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from their land.”

“While global awareness is growing, there is still a lingering belief that settler violence is chaotic, spontaneous, or disconnected from state policy. In reality, it is well-funded, organized, strategic, and methodical.”

Recognizing this structure changes how movements must respond. If dispossession is coordinated and systematic, resistance must be equally strategic, organized, and intentional.

Leadership That Reaches the Right Rooms

Another central goal of From Here Forward is leadership development.

“It is so important to develop as many powerful leaders and speakers as possible who can spread the truth about the reality on the ground as far as possible,” Mattan emphasizes.

Just as settler groups strategically target specific villages and communities, advocacy must strategically target institutions and political leaders that sustain the status quo.

The project seeks to equip grassroots leaders with:

• Strategic communication skills
• Political analysis and power mapping
• Institutional engagement strategies
• Relationship-building tools
• The ability to translate lived experience into policy impact

Some emerging leaders already have relationships and access to influential spaces, and this project aims to support them in bringing truth into those rooms, where shifts in perception can become shifts in policy.

Looking ahead, Mattan envisions From Here Forward seen as a impactful force in creating a Jewish community that stands proudly against apartheid, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and occupation, stands in solidarity with Palestinians, and has trained leaders and provided important linkage between the many amazing organizations doing the work to create a better future for all of us.

Consider supporting this project with a one time donation or by becoming a monthly donor here. 

Colonial empires feed on fear and trauma. But most of all, they feed on the indifference of their citizens, the quiet acceptance of violence as inevitable, necessary or beyond our responsibility. As long as we normalize, excuse, defend, or ignore state violence, these systems continue. They thrive not only through bombs and weapons, but through the collective silence and moral disengagement of societies that benefit from or turn a blind eye to war.

Watch NVI’s Co-Director Sami Awad’s video on this matter here.

Nonviolence International condemns the accelerating global escalation of militarization and the devastating consequences it continues to impose on civilian populations across the world. The recent attacks carried out by Israel and the United States in the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran represent not isolated eruptions of violence, they are part of a systemic escalation of militarized policy that has become a defining feature of global power politics.

The expansion of militarization does not create safety. It entrenches cycles of retaliation, fuels authoritarianism, diverts resources away from social needs, and undermines international law and multilateral norms designed to protect human life. As weapons stockpiles grow and military budgets swell, investments in diplomacy, climate resilience, healthcare, education, and conflict prevention are sidelined, despite being far more effective pathways to lasting peace.

Nonviolence International rejects the false premise that security can be achieved through domination, preemptive strikes, or collective punishment. History has repeatedly shown that militarized responses deepen grievances and prolong conflict rather than resolve it. True security is built through justice, accountability, and the protection of human dignity, not through the expansion of war.

It is not only the immediate loss of life that should concern us, it is the long-term destabilization, trauma, displacement, and erosion of human dignity that follow. We must withdraw our consent from the old model of war and invest our collective energy in alternatives that reflect our stated commitments to peace. As voices for peace have long asked:

• What would a peace economy look like, one that prioritizes human needs over military spending?
• What is a peace community, anchored in mutual respect rather than fear?
• What does it mean to live in peace, not just imagine it?

To answer these questions requires courage. It demands that we challenge comfortable narratives, confront inconvenient truths, stop outsourcing responsibility and reclaim our agency to refuse that indifference continues to be the engine of harm.

At this critical moment, we call on governments, institutions, civil society organizations and citizens to:

• • Halt further military escalation and attacks on civilian populations.
  • Uphold international humanitarian and human rights law without exception.
  • Center collective security and welfare, not warfare, as the foundation of global security
  • Support diplomatic solutions rooted in accountability, justice, and self-determination

Colonial empires feed on fear. Their greatest weapon is our indifference. By refusing to accept violence as necessary, by actively choosing peace and accountability, we weaken their grip and move closer to a world where all lives are protected and valued.

We stand in solidarity with all communities affected by military violence and reaffirm our commitment to nonviolent action as both a moral imperative and a practical strategy.

Nonviolent movements around the world have demonstrated that sustainable change is possible through organized, people-powered resistance, dialogue, and international cooperation.