Mada’s Mission

Mada al-Carmel was founded in Haifa in 2000. As the only Palestinian research center of its kind in Israel, Mada works to further the human, civil and political rights of Palestinian citizens of Israel through applied social research and policy analysis. Mada amplifies Palestinian perspectives in Israeli civil and political discourse, aiming to stimulate alternatives to state policies that privilege one national group over another.

By producing high-quality material based on community-grounded, multidisciplinary, participatory research, Mada informs the ongoing efforts of community activists, NGOs and others who work toward improving policies and inter-communal relations.

Mada’s Objectives

• To engage in applied social research and critical work, generating counter-perspectives to dominant narratives on the Palestinian experience in Israel.
• To undertake research projects that serve the cause of collective rights, equality and democratic citizenship.
• To inspire informed and thoughtful discussion among academics, public figures, and the public at large on key issues effecting Palestinian society.
• To act as a source of credible research and information on the Palestinian condition, to be built on by scholars, think tanks, policy makers, civil society actors, and the interested public, both locally and internationally.
• To examine political, economic, and social processes in Israeli society in general, and how they link into Israeli-Palestinian relations in particular.
• To promote the cause of gender equality in the Palestinian community and beyond.
• To address the challenges facing Palestinian women through a dedicated gender studies program.
• To offer a much-needed home for Palestinian academics in the social sciences and humanities, both locally and in exile, where they can discuss ideas, receive support, mentor junior scholars, and advance their scholarship.
• To guide, inspire, and educate the next generation of Palestinian scholars working in the social sciences and humanities.
• To bring together Palestinian scholars and others for joint research and productive exchanges.