The two-day People’s Peace Summit drew thousands of attendees to Jerusalem for a packed program of cultural, educational, and community-building events on Thursday and Friday.
Organized by It’s Time, a coalition of over 60 Jewish and Arab peacebuilding and shared society organizations, and supported in part by the New Israel Fund, the summit was the largest civilian anti-war event in Israel since October 7.
“We gather in Jerusalem – Jews and Arabs, young and old, from all walks of life – to imagine a different path,” stated the organizers. “We believe that peace is possible, and the time to act is now.”
On Thursday, participating venues and organizations across Jerusalem hosted cultural and community events that included film screenings, exhibitions, musical performances, city tours, interfaith prayers, and more.
The summit’s main event on Friday, a full-day conference with a wide offering of speeches, expert panels, workshops, and musical performances at the Jerusalem International Convention Center (Binyanei HaUma), drew over 5,000 attendees and was streamed live to dozens of locations in Israel and major cities around the world.
Featuring a range of speakers that included Knesset representatives, peace organization representatives, conflict experts, bereaved families, and international guests, the summit was informed by a vision of peace, justice, and a shared future based on both political agreements and grassroots efforts.
“Peace is possible,” said Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in a video statement from Ramallah. “Through justice, we can ensure security and a future for all the peoples of the region.”
Other notable political speakers included MK Aymen Odeh and MK Ahmad Tibi (Hadash-Ta’al), MK Gilad Kariv and MK Naama Lazimi (The Democrats), MK Alon Schuster (National Unity), and The Democrats chairman Yair Golan.
'There is no other way'
“Jews and Arabs, it is you. Keep believing in each other and fight together. Because only together we will win,” Odeh declared to a cheering audience, echoing the call for an end to war and a comprehensive agreement.
Addressing the audience alongside Kariv, Lazimi acknowledged, “Our path is not easy. But there is no other way.” Stressing that the only alternative to a political agreement is eternal war, Lazimi concluded, “The pains of peace are preferable to the pains of war.”
International leaders expressed their support for the peace summit as well. In a video message, French President Emmanuel Macron stated: “I salute the courage of those working today for coexistence and peace.”
Though the traumas of October 7 and the Israel-Hamas War weighed heavily, the summit’s speakers expressed commitment to continuing their work for peace and a better future.
Against a backdrop of slideshow images that included a photograph of Vivian Silver with the words “Following in your footsteps,” representatives from Women Wage Peace called for more women to be around the table in order to make sustainable agreements possible.
Maoz Inon, whose parents were murdered on October 7 in Moshav Netiv Ha’asarah, and Aziz Abu Sarah, whose brother died of internal injuries following his release from an Israeli jail, shared the stage to emphasize that revenge will not bring Israelis and Palestinians closer to peace. “Instead of revenge, I choose a different future,” said Inon, calling on politicians and leaders to resolve the conflict through dialogue.
FOLLOWING THE opening session, attendees were able to choose from a number of panels and workshops, with topics ranging from democracy and religion to the role of women in peace and reconciliation processes. Workshops for educators explored how the education system can promote tolerance and understanding and contribute to the movement for peace.
Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, joined via livestream by former Palestinian Authority foreign minister Nasser Al-Kidwa, discussed their peace framework in the central political session: “There are Partners and There is a Path – Political solutions to emerge from the abyss.”
Based on a joint proposal originally presented last year, the main political positions involve a two-state solution using 1967 borders, including a territory exchange; the end of the war in Gaza; and Jerusalem as the capital of the two future states.
Kidwa emphasized that these are strategic positions and not a plan, but that both sides have a chance if they work together, with the support of the international community. He added that both sides must also believe in peace and build a new culture among Israelis and Palestinians based on the belief in surviving together and creating a better future for their children.
Rejecting the possibility of any one-state solution, Olmert insisted that there is no alternative to two independent states, and that the first step is stopping the war in Gaza, along with the return of Israeli hostages and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
“We have to end the war and pull out from Gaza. Gaza is Palestinian; it’s not Israeli,” Olmert stated. “It has to be part of the Palestinian state.” An interim security force would ensure Hamas does not retake control.
“There should be a new administration linked to the Palestinian Authority, with executive powers, that will be able to rebuild Gaza without any participation of a military terrorist organization such as Hamas,” Olmert said.
In order to achieve peace and normalization in the region, Israel and the Palestinian Authority must start immediate negotiations for a two-state solution, according to Olmert.
