Jerusalem Peace Gathering led by These Women
By Rachel Fink
Haaretz
May 6, 2025
"The People's Peace Summit, a two-day event spearheaded by three women – Mika Almog, Maya Savir, and May Pundak – recently took place under the auspices of It's Time, a coalition of dozens of peacebuilding and shared society groups. Their message is clear: the conflict can, and must, end…
"'There's been very effective efforts to remove the word peace from our lexicon,' Almog says, 'not only to resist using it, but even worse, to make it a nonissue to the point where if you say peace, you're either ridiculed, belittled or labeled a traitor.'
"'We are putting it back on the table,' Pundak adds...
"Almog began her career as an executive producer and screenwriter for television before parlaying her writing skills into columns and a book. She now serves as It's Time's content director. Pundak, a human rights advocate, co-leads A Land For All, a movement promoting a shared Israeli-Palestinian future. Savir, a longtime peace activist and eight-time author, serves as Search For Common Ground's Country Director for Israel, the world's largest peacebuilding NGO…
"Last summer, they organized a launch event, drawing 6,000 people to Jerusalem's Menorah Stadium. This was followed by 'The People's Peace Journey,' a grassroots tour through 14 cities and towns across Israel. Now comes the summit, which they describe as 'unprecedented in scale and scope,' both in ambition and in its effort to revive Israel's long–dormant peace camp...
"At its core, the event is a galvanizing call to action. 'If you feel isolated, desperate, in despair, if you've had enough of hatred and death and revenge,' Almog says, 'this is the place to be.'…
"'We're hopeful and optimistic,' she adds, 'but we're also pragmatists. We want our children to live. And the only way to ensure that is mutual safety. The alternative – this endless cycle of death and destruction– is no longer an option.'"
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