Ir Amim has been awarded the NIF UK Human Right Prize for 2022. In presenting the award, New Israel Fund UK noted that, “since it was founded in 2000, Ir Amim has striven to make Jerusalem a more equal place for everybody. The organization has supported the residents of locations such as Silwan, Al-Walaja, Batn Al-Hawa, and Sheikh Jarrah, and has succeeded in influencing policy changes, which ensured that the communities that it represents will receive better services. They have also strenuously opposed settlements, while raising international awareness on the issues and injustice in East Jerusalem.”

Ir Amim focuses on the major political issues facing East Jerusalemites. These include a dramatic lack in urban planning, opposing the expansion of urban settlements, the declaration of national parks that expropriate Palestinian land, and the challenges posed by the separation barrier, which, in Jerusalem, splits some towns in half and makes transportation between Palestinian areas difficult.

Ir Amim also leads study tours of Jerusalem where they introduce participants to the social, economic, and political issues that impact life in the city for its multiple religious, cultural, and national groups. The tours touch on Jerusalem’s importance as a symbol for both injustice and hope throughout Israel-Palestine.