Peace Now FAQs
What is Peace Now? Peace Now, the first mass peace movement in Israel, was founded in 1978 by 350 reserve officers and soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces. It is a non-partisan, volunteer movement with branches throughout Israel.
Peace Now came to prominence when it mobilised hundreds of thousands of Israelis to protest against the Lebanon War in 1982.
Over the years, it has struggled against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza with a view to removing the injustice and repression suffered by the Palestinian people. Having pioneered meetings with Palestinian representatives in the 1980s, Peace Now has consistently supported the implementation of the Oslo Accords and, over the past 20 years, has succeeded in bringing about a turnaround in Israeli public opinion.
Despite all the setbacks that the peace process has encountered in recent years, Peace Now continues to lead the campaign to end the conflict and achieve a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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What activities does Peace Now pursue in Israel?
Peace Now engages in a broad range of activities throughout all sectors of Israeli society. These comprise:
… Nation-wide campaigns to promote peace and justice in the Middle East which includes reaching out to Israelis in the development towns and immigrant communities
… Settlement Watch project which monitors and documents the expropriation of Palestinian land and the expansion of settlements in the occupied territories
… Maintains a dialogue with Palestinian representatives in the territories as well as abroad to develop a mutual understanding of each other¹s needs and interests
… Seeks to prevent changes in the status quo within Jerusalem and protect the rights of Palestinians in East Jerusalem
… Engages young Israelis through its youth wing in the struggle for peace including meetings with young Palestinians
… Conducts exchanges with Egyptian and Jordanian intellectuals as part of its wider campaign to achieve a regional peace in the Middle East
… Maintains close contacts with fraternal organisations, such as Peace Now UK, to enlist the support of concerned Jews in the Diaspora and other sympathisers abroad.
What is Peace Now UK?In Peace Now UK supports the aims and activities of Peace Now in Israel. In pursuit of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, Peace Now UK promotes a wide range of initiatives in the UK which include:
… public meetings and debates
… participation in demonstrations and vigils
… educational events
… publicising the struggle for peace through public manifestos and advertisements
… engaging in dialogue with Palestinian support groups
What Proposals has Peace Now put forward to resolve the conflict?
In the quest for a permanent negotiated settlement of the conflict, Peace Now has put forward the following principles for a settlement to be negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians:
… The Palestinian people have the right to self-determination, including the right to establish their own state in the West Bank and Gaza.
… The 1967 border constitutes the guiding line for the determination of the permanent borders between the State of Israel and the future Palestinian state.
… The evacuation of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories
… The city of Jerusalem will remain united and will serve as the capital of both the new Palestinian state and Israel with unimpeded access to all religious sites.
… A comprehensive solution to the refugee problem will be based primarily on their absorption into the Palestinian state helped by compensation from the international donor community.
… As part of a comprehensive peace settlement for the region, Israel will withdraw from the Golan Heights following a peace agreement with Syria and Lebanon.