NIF’s Nasij (‘Tapestry’) programme strengthens Palestinian leaders and civil society organisations in Israel to address crime, unemployment and a long-standing leadership vacuum resulting from decades of state neglect.  

In 2025, we funded and supported:  

• 10 fledgling community initiatives  

• 8 mid-sized social change organisations  

• 30 young professionals with a comprehensive 6-month leadership programme 

The overwhelming oversubscription to the programme indicates that Nasij is addressing an urgent need. Yet, besides responding to the crisis, Nasij is also building lasting civic power in Palestinian communities. 

Nasij alumni have recently mobilised over 100,000 Jews and Arabs across Israel in mass protests against the police’s colossal failure to curb violent crime among Palestinian communities in Israel.  

Click here to read what our colleague, Fida Nara Tabony (NIF Israel), writes on the rising crime in her community and why we should all care about this dire situation.

We are not the threat—we are the opportunity. We speak two languages, carry two cultures, and hold two pains and two dreams. We can be the bridge that connects— but a bridge only works if both sides dare to trust it. (Dr Nasreen Haddad Haj-Yahya, Vice President, NIF). 

After his brother was murdered, Nasim abandoned his normative lifestyle and turned to violence. Like many young people drawn into crime, he needed more than punishment — he needed a way back. Through “Back on Track”, a long-term intervention programme supported by NIF, Nasim began taking responsibility for his actions. He found a steady job, restored broken family relationships, and gradually rebuilt his standing in the community — this time through dignity rather than fear.