The Seventh Annual Conference of the Mitvim Institute - Strategies of Hope

This year’s conference was titled "Strategies of Hope” and aptly dealt with the possibilities of turning the horrors of the 7th of October and the following Gaza War into a path of reconciliation and renewal of relations between Israel and the Palestinians as well as the Arab World.

One of the speakers was the leader of opposition and former prime minister Yair Lapid, who held the first speech after the introductory remarks by Dr. Gil Murciano, the CEO of Mitvim, and Dr. Ralf Melzer, the head of FES-Israel. Active and former Members of the Knesset took part in the panels: MK Na’ama Lazimi from the Democrats and former Hadash MK Dr. Dov Khenin, as well as several others. Speakers from the international community included the US Deputy Head of Mission Stephanie Hallet, Minister of State at the German Federal Foreign Office Tobias Lindner, and the German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert.

Among the topics of the agenda were the diplomatic efforts for the hostages; 101 are still being held captive in Gaza; the escalating conflict between Iran’s Axis of “Resistance” and Israel; the role of Germany and Europe in advancing peace in the Middle East and Eco-Political Sustainability in a fragmented Middle East.

An important part of the event was the discussion on the Regional Perspective of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, where voices from the Palestinians and the Arab States took center stage. Several former high-ranking diplomats, including the former Jordanian foreign minister and the former deputy foreign minister of Egypt, discussed the regional perspective with former PA officials and members of civil society; one panelist was even remotely connected from Dubai.

In extraordinary difficult times, this conference managed to give some hope that peace is feasible, that there are partners for it on both sides, and that there are friends in the whole world that want to make it happen.

Click here to watch the conference's videos