In 2006, Palestinian and Israeli former combatants laid down their arms and founded Combatants for Peace (CfP). Since then, CfP members have shared a commitment to non-violence and have worked to end the Israeli occupation in the Palestinian territories. They advocate ending the violence between the two sides in order to build a peaceful future for all.
The Combatants for Peace in Israel/Palestine strive for a genuine partnership between Israelis and Palestinians, which is shaped by the people of both sides on an equal footing. In this partnership, they want to find a way to live together in equality.
Despite the current unequal experiences of suffering and oppression, Israelis and Palestinians are united by their despair over their losses, their grief and their deep hope for a just peace. They believe that only dialogue at eye level, with mutual respect and a willingness to listen (while acknowledging the unequal power relations), can resolve the conflict and create real equality. This could create the conditions for sustainable peace.
For over a decade, they have led actions based on the shared values of freedom, democracy, security and human dignity for all. The "Fighters for Peace" are a unique non-violent movement in Israel and Palestine, founded and sustained by former armed fighters from both sides of an ongoing conflict. In 2018 they were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The programmes "Learning Peace" and "Face-to-Face" bring people from both societies together. In dialogue groups and trainings on non-violent communication, participants learn about each other's suffering and learn ways out of violence. For the past year, Israeli and Palestinian women have also been coming together in dialogue groups.
Thousands of people from both societies come together for the annual "Joint Memorial Ceremony" and commemorate the many victims on both sides with speeches, poetry and music. Well-known writers such as David Grossmann support these commemorations.
Solidarity actions, such as helping Palestinian farmers with the olive harvest and providing protective guards when settlers attack farmers, are part of CfP's activities. Israeli activists have also assisted Bedouins in saving a village from demolition.
In light of the plans of the Israeli government as well as the former Trump administration to annex large parts of the West Bank, CfP wrote to all members of the Israeli parliament (Knesset) as well as to the UN Security Council calling for an end to the occupation.
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