Latest news with #People'sPeaceSummit
Gulf Today
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Thousands gather for rare peace event in Jerusalem
Thousands gathered for a rare peace event in Jerusalem on Friday, with the Gaza war in its 20th month, the UN warning of humanitarian catastrophe and Palestinian militants still holding dozens of Israelis captive. In recent days, Israel has announced plans for an expanded military campaign in Gaza entailing the 'conquest' of the Palestinian territory. Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said this meant that the Gaza Strip would be 'entirely destroyed'. 'We cannot let the extremists on both sides that thrive over revenge, fear and hate also control our future,' said Maoz Inon, 50, an Israeli entrepreneur and peace activist who was one of the main organisers of Friday's 'People's Peace Summit'. 'Even though they are controlling our present and reality, we must choose an alternative and create and shape an alternative future,' he told AFP. Friday's event was organised by a grouping of some 60 grassroots peace-building organisations working to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a political agreement. At the event, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and ex-Palestinian Authority foreign minister Nasser Al-Kidwa presented their proposal for peace, originally unveiled last year. Kidwa, the nephew of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, joined via livestream from the occupied West Bank. 'Only a two-state solution is a prescription for a dramatic change in the direction of our country and of the entire region,' said Olmert, a centrist predecessor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 'We have to end the war and pull out of Gaza, Gaza is Palestinian... and it has to be part of a Palestinian state,' he added. He advocated for the establishment of an 'internal security force' linked to the Palestinian Authority that would have 'objective powers... to try and rebuild Gaza without any participation' of the militant group Hamas. Kidwa said the pair's peace proposal involved a two-state solution including the exchange of 4.4 per cent of territory between Israel and a Palestinian state. Under the plan unveiled last year, Kidwa and Olmert said this territory swap would involve Israel annexing land where the main Jewish settlement blocs exist in the West Bank, including some of the area around Jerusalem. In exchange, an equally sized piece of Israeli territory would be annexed by a future Palestinian state, they said. Their vision of a two-state solution is based on Israel's June 4, 1967 borders -- before the occupation of the West Bank. The Olmert-Kidwa plan also advocates for shared sovereignty over Jerusalem's Old City, involving a trusteeship which would include Israel and a Palestinian state. The current war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of the 251 people abducted in Israel that day, 58 are still being held in Gaza, including 34 declared dead by the Israeli army. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 52,787 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the United Nations regards as reliable. The territory has been under a total Israeli blockade since March 2, with UN agencies and other humanitarian organisations warning of dwindling supplies of everything from fuel and medicine to food and clean water. On the other hand, international aid agencies warned on Friday that plans presented by Israel to control aid distribution in Gaza, including a US-backed proposal, will only increase suffering and death in the devastated Palestinian territory, which has been under a total Israeli blockade for nearly 10 weeks. They urged Israel to lift its ban on all food, medicine and other supplies entering Gaza, which has caused a surge of malnutrition and hunger among Palestinians as supplies rapidly dwindle. 'Humanitarian aid should never be used as a bargaining chip,' UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said in Geneva. Agencies
L'Orient-Le Jour
10-05-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
In Jerusalem, a peace conference presents a two-state solution plan
Thousands gathered Friday in Jerusalem for a rare peace rally, as the war in Gaza enters its 20th month, with a humanitarian situation described as alarming by the U.N. and dozens of Israeli hostages still held captive. Israel, which resumed its offensive in Gaza on March 18 after a two-month truce, announced on Monday a "conquest" plan for the Palestinian territory that envisions a massive population transfer, drawing widespread condemnation worldwide. "Gaza will be totally destroyed," Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, an extreme-right leader, stated Tuesday. "We cannot let extremists on both sides, who feed off revenge, fear, and hate, decide our future," said Maoz Inon, a 50-year-old Israeli entrepreneur and peace activist, and co-organizer of this People's Peace Summit held on Friday. "Even if they control our present, we must choose an alternative and shape a different future," he added. The event was organized by a coalition of about 60 local organizations working for a political resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On this occasion, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser al-Kidwa presented their peace plan, unveiled for the first time last year. Two-state solution Kidwa, nephew of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, spoke via videoconference from the occupied West Bank. "Only a two-state solution can bring about a radical change for our country and the entire region," Olmert, the centrist predecessor of the current Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated. "We must end the war and withdraw from Gaza. Gaza is Palestinian ... and must be part of a Palestinian state," he argued, calling for the establishment of an "internal security force" under the Palestinian Authority's command, equipped with "objective powers ... to rebuild the Gaza Strip without the participation" of Hamas. The war in Gaza was triggered on Oct. 7, 2023, by an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement. Kidwa stated that their peace proposal rested on a two-state solution, including a 4.4 percent territory exchange between Israel and a future Palestinian state. According to the plan unveiled last year, Israel would annex the main Jewish settlements in the West Bank, particularly some areas around Jerusalem. In return, an equivalent-sized Israeli territory would be ceded to a future Palestinian state, they said. Their vision for a two-state solution is based on Israel's borders from June 4, 1967, before the occupation of the West Bank. The Olmert-Kidwa plan also advocates for shared sovereignty over Jerusalem's Old City, with a governance arrangement that includes both Israel and a Palestinian state.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thousands gather for rare peace event in Jerusalem
Thousands gathered for a rare peace event in Jerusalem on Friday, with the Gaza war in its 20th month, the UN warning of humanitarian catastrophe and Palestinian militants still holding dozens of Israelis captive. In recent days, Israel has announced plans for an expanded military campaign in Gaza entailing the "conquest" of the Palestinian territory. Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said this meant that the Gaza Strip would be "entirely destroyed". "We cannot let the extremists on both sides that thrive over revenge, fear and hate also control our future," said Maoz Inon, 50, an Israeli entrepreneur and peace activist who was one of the main organisers of Friday's "People's Peace Summit". "Even though they are controlling our present and reality, we must choose an alternative and create and shape an alternative future," he told AFP. Friday's event was organised by a grouping of some 60 grassroots peace-building organisations working to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a political agreement. At the event, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and ex-Palestinian Authority foreign minister Nasser al-Kidwa presented their proposal for peace, originally unveiled last year. Kidwa, the nephew of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, joined via livestream from the occupied West Bank. "Only a two-state solution is a prescription for a dramatic change in the direction of our country and of the entire region," said Olmert, a centrist predecessor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "We have to end the war and pull out of Gaza, Gaza is Palestinian... and it has to be part of a Palestinian state," he added. He advocated for the establishment of an "internal security force" linked to the Palestinian Authority that would have "objective powers... to try and rebuild Gaza without any participation" of the militant group Hamas. - Two-state solution - Kidwa said the pair's peace proposal involved a two-state solution including the exchange of 4.4 percent of territory between Israel and a Palestinian state. Under the plan unveiled last year, Kidwa and Olmert said this territory swap would involve Israel annexing land where the main Jewish settlement blocs exist in the West Bank, including some of the area around Jerusalem. In exchange, an equally sized piece of Israeli territory would be annexed by a future Palestinian state, they said. Their vision of a two-state solution is based on Israel's June 4, 1967 borders -- before the occupation of the West Bank. The Olmert-Kidwa plan also advocates for shared sovereignty over Jerusalem's Old City, involving a trusteeship which would include Israel and a Palestinian state. The current war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of the 251 people abducted in Israel that day, 58 are still being held in Gaza, including 34 declared dead by the Israeli army. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 52,787 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the United Nations regards as reliable. The territory has been under a total Israeli blockade since March 2, with UN agencies and other humanitarian organisations warning of dwindling supplies of everything from fuel and medicine to food and clean water. acc/csp/dcp
France 24
09-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Thousands gather for rare peace event in Jerusalem
In recent days, Israel has announced plans for an expanded military campaign in Gaza entailing the "conquest" of the Palestinian territory. Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said this meant that the Gaza Strip would be "entirely destroyed". "We cannot let the extremists on both sides that thrive over revenge, fear and hate also control our future," said Maoz Inon, 50, an Israeli entrepreneur and peace activist who was one of the main organisers of Friday's "People's Peace Summit". "Even though they are controlling our present and reality, we must choose an alternative and create and shape an alternative future," he told AFP. Friday's event was organised by a grouping of some 60 grassroots peace-building organisations working to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a political agreement. At the event, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and ex-Palestinian Authority foreign minister Nasser al-Kidwa presented their proposal for peace, originally unveiled last year. Kidwa, the nephew of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, joined via livestream from the occupied West Bank. "Only a two-state solution is a prescription for a dramatic change in the direction of our country and of the entire region," said Olmert, a centrist predecessor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "We have to end the war and pull out of Gaza, Gaza is Palestinian... and it has to be part of a Palestinian state," he added. He advocated for the establishment of an "internal security force" linked to the Palestinian Authority that would have "objective powers... to try and rebuild Gaza without any participation" of the militant group Hamas. Two-state solution Kidwa said the pair's peace proposal involved a two-state solution including the exchange of 4.4 percent of territory between Israel and a Palestinian state. Under the plan unveiled last year, Kidwa and Olmert said this territory swap would involve Israel annexing land where the main Jewish settlement blocs exist in the West Bank, including some of the area around Jerusalem. In exchange, an equally sized piece of Israeli territory would be annexed by a future Palestinian state, they said. Their vision of a two-state solution is based on Israel's June 4, 1967 borders -- before the occupation of the West Bank. The Olmert-Kidwa plan also advocates for shared sovereignty over Jerusalem's Old City, involving a trusteeship which would include Israel and a Palestinian state. The current war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of the 251 people abducted in Israel that day, 58 are still being held in Gaza, including 34 declared dead by the Israeli army. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 52,787 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the United Nations regards as reliable. The territory has been under a total Israeli blockade since March 2, with UN agencies and other humanitarian organisations warning of dwindling supplies of everything from fuel and medicine to food and clean water.
Middle East Eye
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Why the Israeli left's 'peace summit' is in denial about the Gaza genocide
On 8 and 9 May, a so-called "People's Peace Summit", titled "The Time Has Come", took place at Binyanei HaUma convention centre in Jerusalem. Sixty Israeli organisations gathered under the banner of peace, claiming to prepare the ground for a political resolution to the "Israeli-Palestinian conflict". The summit featured tours, workshops, film screenings, performances, and - on the second day - keynote speeches promoting what organisers described as a "peace-based worldview". According to its website, the summit aimed to promote "dialogue" between Palestinians and Israelis, in hopes of sparking societal change and inspiring belief that after each war, a political process would follow. "The time has come," the organisers declared. "Now, when it burns and hurts, after long years of fear and violence, of struggle, of occupation and terror. The war that erupted on 7 October must and can be the last war - the one after which peace will come." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters But this vision relies on a dangerous abstraction - one that ignores the reality of what is happening in Gaza. The language of peace and dialogue is being used to mask complicity, deflect accountability, and delay action. Peace performance Despite the ongoing genocide in Gaza, this marked the second consecutive year the "People's Peace Summit" took place under the same slogans and with the same speakers. Aside from minor adjustments to the schedule, little had changed. What is happening in Gaza demands explicit political statements and mass mobilisation - not vague appeals centred on Israeli captives If one wonders how the Israeli public can remain silent in the face of what is unfolding in Gaza, the answer lies in a basic, grim truth: a significant portion of the population embraces extreme right-wing, messianic ideologies. These beliefs, rooted in a religious-nationalist vision, have increasingly shaped Israeli politics, particularly through parties like Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit. A March 2025 poll conducted by Israel's Direct Polls Institute found that nearly 60 percent of Israelis supported resuming military attacks on Gaza - despite mounting international condemnation and the catastrophic humanitarian toll. At the same time, many of those who consider themselves liberal or humanitarian continue to avoid making an unequivocal call to end the genocide in Gaza. Their silence reflects not just hesitation, but complicity. Israeli peace organisations continue to do everything but confront the elephant in the room. This is not a war - it is a genocide. And calling simply for an end to "the war" is not only useless, but evasive. What is happening in Gaza demands explicit political statements and mass mobilisation - not vague appeals centred on Israeli captives or Jewish national security, but because infants and children are dying as the world watches. Follow Middle East Eye's live coverage of the Israel-Palestine war While artists stand on stage to sing, dozens more will likely be starved or killed. On Wednesday alone, Israeli air strikes killed more than 100 Palestinians across Gaza, including in a crowded marketplace and a restaurant in Nuseirat refugee camp. Among the dead were women, children, and two journalists, as Israel escalated its assault in a genocidal war now entering its 20th month. There is no time - and no purpose - for abstract conversations about future peace processes while genocide is ongoing. By the time the so-called "day after" arrives, the damage will be so vast, with consequences spanning generations, that the very notion of a political resolution or peace will be rendered meaningless. Genocide denial What is happening in Gaza has been visible from the start. No person with internet access and a functioning conscience can deny it. The only thing missing is the will to name it. Viewed in this light, the summit's refusal to use the word "genocide" - despite the affirmation of international genocide scholars - speaks volumes. I once lived next to a Holocaust survivor. What would he make of Israel's starvation of Gaza? Read More » So too does its silence on Israel's use of starvation as a weapon of war, and its failure to address the Jewish-Israeli public about what is being done in their name and with their participation. The absence of any serious critique of the military's actions raises a fundamental question about the summit's motives: do the organisers truly believe that any means are justified if the alleged goal is to topple Hamas? Even more surreal is the map the summit organisers published: "The Map of Peace and Love - Israel/Palestine 2040". At first glance, it looked like satire, but it wasn't. In this imagined landscape between the river and the sea, nearly every place name is Jewish or a slogan. The only Arab reference is a central spot named after Lebanese writer Elias Khoury. Arab identities appear only in the context of coexistence with Jews in Jordan and Egypt. This is not a vision of shared life - it is a colonial fantasy that imagines Israeli expansion beyond the river and the sea, into neighbouring territories. Privileged distractions Journalist Orly Noy, chair of B'Tselem, criticised the peace summit for offering what she described as "privileged distractions" - dialogue workshops, interfaith prayers, and future-oriented panels - while Gaza burns. She noted that not a single panel was dedicated to the ongoing genocide, and argued that the summit was designed to "make Israelis feel better about themselves" without demanding they confront what is being done in their name. One of the organisers, Raluca Ganea, responded in Haaretz by accusing Noy of aiding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's agenda through divisiveness. She insisted that political institutions emerge after wars to build diplomatic solutions, and that energy should be directed toward shaping what comes next. But framing critique as sabotage is not only evasive, it reinforces the very silence Noy was condemning. At a time when there has been no large-scale public call for draft refusal or an end to the genocide, dismissing internal criticism further serves to protect national consensus rather than challenge it. What's more, Ganea is wrong on the facts: genocide typically does not conclude with diplomacy but erasure - just like the Palestinians in Jaffa, Haifa, Acre, and elsewhere, who were ethnically cleansed in 1948. To this day, Israel refuses to allow them to return, and both the Israeli right and left continue to oppose the right of return. Beyond 'dialogue' There is no space to discuss the "day after". No place for talk about peace or a political solution. The catastrophe in Gaza will be remembered as one of the darkest chapters in modern history. The Israeli left will be remembered as those who stood by and did the bare minimum to acknowledge the horrors taking place For their role, the Israeli left will be remembered as those who stood by and did the bare minimum to acknowledge the horrors taking place. When challenged, they adopted right-wing rhetoric and aligned themselves with the national consensus, thereby enabling the continued starvation of children. The summit makes clear why there is no room left for dialogue with the Israeli left. After 20 months of genocide, something fundamental has shifted in what it means to be Palestinian. Any cooperation now serves only to reassure the Israeli left - to sustain the comforting illusion that, despite everything, there are still Palestinians willing to talk, negotiate, and feed hope. But while children, women, and men are being starved and bombed in refugee camps, there is no place for shallow hope-talk. The only legitimate political discourse now is a demand to end the genocide, grounded in the belief that justice can still prevail. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
