Peacebuilders Call for Civil Society's Permanent Place in Diplomacy

NEW YORK, Sept. 28, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilders briefed the UN Security Council today, calling on more governments to join the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace and to ensure that Israeli and Palestinian civil society has a permanent place in foreign policy. The briefing came a week after French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot convened a roundtable during the UN General Assembly, bringing Israeli and Palestinian civil society leaders together with foreign ministers and senior diplomats from 35 countries.

The briefing was delivered by the cofounders of InterAct, Maoz Inon and Aziz Abu Sarah. Inon, an Israeli whose parents were killed in a Hamas attack, and Abu Sarah, a Palestinian from East Jerusalem whose brother died after torture in Israeli detention, spoke as members of the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP), a coalition of more than 200 Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilding organizations.

The International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace was launched in June by the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. It is modelled on the International Fund for Ireland, which supported community-level peacebuilding for more than a decade before the Good Friday Agreement, and for years after, allowing the agreement to hold. It is the first multilateral mechanism dedicated to long-term funding for the people and organizations building the foundations for peace on the ground.

In their communiqué from the June 2024 G7 summit in Italy, leaders committed to "closely coordinate and institutionalize" their support for civil society peacebuilding. In practice, this means long-term funding, a standing role in diplomatic processes, and consistent political backing, rather than occasional invitations. This inclusion followed a months-long campaign backed by 37 UK parliamentarians, 22 Members of the European Parliament, more than 160 Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilding NGOs, and 200 civil society organizations worldwide, as well as Pope Francis, whose support Inon and Abu Sarah secured in a personal audience with him ahead of the G7. Two years on, the commitment has yet to be fully delivered.

The briefing also addressed the protection of civilians in the West Bank ahead of the olive harvest, accountability for violence, access for the Red Cross to detainees, Palestinian elections, and multi-narrative education. The Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) is a coalition of more than 200 Israeli and Palestinian organizations working to build the civil society infrastructure that lasting peace requires. ALLMEP works to ensure that the people and organizations reducing violence, building trust, and creating partnership between Israelis and Palestinians on the ground are recognized, connected, and resourced by governments and donors worldwide.

"Let's make that the new norm."

The roundtable is the latest step in a growing shift in how governments engage with the field. In 2025, recommendations developed by hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilders in Paris were reflected in the New York Declaration, endorsed by 142 countries. This June, more than 150 civil society leaders returned to Paris to meet ministers from over 50 countries, producing the 2026 Paris Call, a policy roadmap delivered to G7 leaders.

The Security Council briefing also addressed the protection of civilians in the West Bank ahead of the olive harvest, accountability for violence, access for the Red Cross to detainees, Palestinian elections, and multi-narrative education.