Is calling for Israeli-Arab peace during war suicidal?
That’s the question posed to Mika Almog, content manager of the People’s Peace Summit, on the most recent episode of the ILTV News Podcast. The summit, which took place from May 8-9, was organized by more than 60 NGOs united in their desire to shape a new reality between Israel and its Palestinian neighbors.
As Israel wages war on multiple fronts and the trauma of October 7 continues to reverberate across the country, Almog and her colleagues launched It’s Time, a bold civil society initiative—one that calls for peace, reconciliation, and a shared future for both peoples.
But in the midst of such pain and violence, is that vision of peace out of touch with reality?
Almog doesn’t think so. She believes the peace camp is far larger than most people assume—it’s just that its members often lack a platform to speak out.
Watch previous episodes of the ILTV News Podcast:
“If you want to support peace, you're very limited in the way you can express it,” she told ILTV. “But we reached out and we said, here's what we're doing. Here's what we believe, if you want to join us, tell us how.”
That message resonated. The movement quickly brought together dozens of organizations and drew some 6,000 people to its kick-off event last year. Five thousand people attended the summit earlier this month.
Almog said Israelis are constantly hearing messages like “total victory”—but very little about diplomacy or alternative approaches.
“The Israeli people have been hearing things like total victory non stop, but they haven't been hearing negotiation,” she said. “They haven't been hearing, let's try an alternative.”
She argued that believing in total victory is akin to believing the Palestinian people will simply disappear or abandon their aspirations.
At the same time, she acknowledged that responsibility lies on both sides.
“You say that the Israeli public has gone to the right. OK, now let’s assume that on your right, there's a horrible swamp. It’s poisonous and it will kill you. But on your left, there's a cliff. So, you're gonna go for the swamp, and you're gonna take your chances, because that's what you have.
“Part of our responsibility is to build something that people can actually turn to and can actually trust,” Almog continued.
Almog is the mother of teenagers, including one who will soon enlist in the Israeli army. She said her children were raised to be proud Israelis—committed to defending their country and its people. But she wants to know that war will always be a last resort.
“I need to know that we have a government that has exhausted all options before sending our children to kill and be killed,” she said. “I want my kids to live.”
She added: “I am not delusional, and I don't think that everything is la de da, and that we can drop our weapons and hand out flowers. But I want to know the decision making is based on what's best for the people.”
So, is the peace movement giving voice to a silent majority—or pushing a dangerous delusion?
Watch the full ILTV News Podcast to decide for yourself:
ILTV News Podcast | Is Calling for Israeli-Arab Peace During War Suicidal?
(ILTV )
