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.
