Israelis and Palestinians Gather in Geneva,...

A delegation of prominent Israelis and Palestinians travelled to Geneva at the invitation of Swiss President and Foreign Minister, Micheline Calmy-Rey, to mark eight years since the signing of the Geneva Accord in 2003. This was not a celebration, per say, as we do not wish to celebrate the fact that a our leaders have not yet reached an actual agreement. However, this was an opportunity for Israeli and Palestinian civil society to meet on neutral ground and take part in an open dialogue about the peace process. The event highlighted the importance of continuous meetings between Israelis and Palestinians, especially in light of the opportunities presented from the summer's social protests in Israel and the Arab Spring.

 

Members of the Israeli delegation included Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, MK Yitzhak Vaknin (Shas), MK Orit Zuaretz (Kadima), MK Daniel Ben Simon (Labor), Motti Sasson, Mayor of Holon, Shlomo Krauss, social activist and writer, Shaanan Streett, lead singer of Israeli band Hadag Nachash, and others. Prominent Palestinian activists and public opinion leaders from various sectors also participated.

 

Following roundtable discussions, members of the delegations met privately with the Swiss President. At night, a large public conference was held at the University of Geneva. Calmy-Rey delivered opening remarks, followed by Vaknin who reiterated, as he has in the past, that any two-state solution between the Israelis and Palestinians would ultimately be similar to the Geneva model. Community organizer and activist Vicky Idzinski spoke about the increasing number of voices advocating for a two-state solution in the Russian-speaking population.

 

The event was covered in the Israeli and Swiss press.