[5][note 1] Prior to the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, Abed had been planning for Haifa's municipal elections, where she was campaigning as "head of a new joint Jewish-Arab list".
She had felt frustrated by the lack of opportunities and support for her as a woman, Palestinian, and Israeli citizen, and the organization provided her with a platform for activism and a community of like-minded individuals who shared her interests and aspirations.
[5] By 2021 she was a leader in the movement, which had become one of the largest grassroots organizations mobilizing Israeli citizens who wanted to end violence as a mechanism for addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
[8] At the time, she stated that protests were organized to demand a ceasefire and an end to the occupation, emphasizing that a military offensive in Gaza could not guarantee the safety of Israelis.
[8] In November 2023, after the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel, Abed and fellow Standing Together leader Alon-Lee Green went on a speaking tour on the East Coast of the U.S. to discuss their work.