Help us grow the Hadyqaẗu Al-Amal Centre (Garden of Hope)
In a place torn by rising violence, we are sowing hope for peace and justice.
Your gift today is more than a donation—it is a seed to be planted. Together, we can nurture it to take root, to grow, and to bloom in a place where justice and healing are most needed.
Help us grow Hadyqaẗu Al-Amal Centre (the Garden of Hope) in Hares, Salfit, West Bank – a new socio-political centre in Palestine.
In April 2025, something extraordinary happened in the small West Bank village of Hares, Salfit. The Garden of Hope — the lifelong dream of peace builder Issa Souf — opened its doors.
The Garden of Hope is a Palestinian-led socio-political centre for cultural exchange between people. It aims to serve social justice, to resist injustice and reject violence in all its forms, including military occupation.
Is there any greater injustice than controlling others by force?
This centre was established to organise and host events that instill hope in participants that peace is possible if it is built on the foundations of justice and equality. The centre offers an oasis of inner peace in an environment that has been ravaged by violence, oppression, racism and denial for decades. Its aim is to help the oppressed to survive so that suffering can be held.
The project is the fruit of tremendous efforts by many friends who are interested in spreading a culture of hope instead of despair, love instead of hatred, peace and justice instead of occupation and violence.
Today, it is preparing to begin hosting local and international social, political and cultural events.
Its many activities will include supporting trauma processing, and creating spaces of understanding to confront the harsh realities of occupation. Through this work, it will cultivate non-violent resistance for justice and deep solidarity.
A short clip from the Garden of Hope opening.
📖 Learn more about our previous fundraising campaign that helped build the Centre here.
From a bare piece of land, the Garden of Hope rose brick by brick—built through dedication, friendship, and persistence.
In Area C, where every building faces the threat of demolition—Issa Souf purchased the land with his own funds and private donations. Despite the uncertainty, the Garden grew through the united efforts of the Palestinian community, international supporters and peace activists, including committed local Israeli allies. These friends have made great efforts (each according to their abilities and circumstances) to turn that dream into a tangible reality on the ground.
The Garden of Hope is the lifelong vision of peace builder and activist Issa Souf, co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).
Issa’s commitment to peace building and justice is both deeply personal and unwavering. In 2001, he was shot by Israeli soldiers with illegal dumdum bullets, leaving him a paraplegic with significant health challenges. Over the years, he has also lost friends, family, and neighbours to violence and oppression—yet his spirit has never been broken. He complements his deeply rooted Muslim practices with teachings from the Plum Village tradition of the late Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Issa founded Love for Life to work with children through art, contemplation, and the principles of non-violence. In addition to his local work, he writes and speaks internationally, ensuring that Palestinian voices and realities are heard worldwide. He maintains close ties with local activists, international allies, and supportive Israelis who work for justice and peace. His steadfast dedication has been recognized with the Wilson/Hinkes Peace Award.
