Ir Amim (“City of Nations” or “City of Peoples”) focuses on Jerusalem within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Ir Amim seeks to render Jerusalem a more viable and equitable city for the Israelis and Palestinians who share it.  Ir Amim envisions a city that ensures the dignity and welfare of all its residents and that safeguards their holy places, as well as their historical and cultural heritages – today, as well as in the future.  Ir Amim also aspires to a sustainable political future for Jerusalem, achievable only through a negotiated process between Israel and the Palestinians.
Ir Amim was founded in 2000, and became active as a non-profit organization in 2004.

In order to achieve its vision, Ir Amim uses the following three-pronged strategy:

1.    Ongoing monitoring, policy and legal advoacy, and exposure of key developments in order to halt  harmful government actions - that impede equitability, undermine Jerusalem’s stability, or threaten to derail negotiations on final status issues (e.g. settlements, land expropriations).

2.    Exposing the Israeli public and targeted groups to the realities and ramifications of current government policies in Jerusalem and re-orienting the public discourse on Jerusalem via study tours, media work, briefings, and educational programs. 

3.   Working together with a Palestinian NGO to design, propose and quietly catalyze several Palestinian socio-economic institutions in East Jerusalem.  Ir Amim also works independently with Palestinian community-based civil society organizations, by providing capacity-building support and advice.

Ir Amim’s work in these fields has earned it a reputation as a reliable, dedicated and insightful organization – in the eyes of Israeli and international policy makers and opinion-shapers, and members of the Israeli public.