DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Join GW SJP in welcoming Miko Peled for his discussion on the prospects of peace and coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis.

If we wish to see thousands of Palestinian prisoners released, the end of the brutal siege and attacks on Gaza, the Right of Return and restitution for Palestinian refugees, demilitarization of the country, freedom of worship and many of the other issues that have come to represent the Palestinian issue resolved, then we must act towards the end of Zionism and a Palestine beyond Zionism.

For peace to be a reality in Palestine, the root of the conflict must be addressed. Zionism, the ideology upon which Israel was established and calls for the colonization of Palestine by Jewish people and the establishment of a state with exclusive rights for Jews, is that root cause.

Israelis and Palestinians can live together in peace when the state of Israel, which is not a Jewish State but a Zionist state, is transformed into a democracy where both people can live under a democratic rule that represents and serves both people.

In South Africa removing Apartheid was the key to ending the plight of black South Africans, in Palestine removing Zionism is the key to resolving the plight of the Palestinians and allowing Palestinians and Israelis to live side by side in peace.

Miko Peled is an Israeli writer and activist living in the US. He was born and raised in Jerusalem. Driven by a personal family tragedy to explore Palestine, its people and their narrative he has written a book about his journey called “The General’s Son, Journey of an Israeli in Palestine.”