Published: 13 November 2025
Last updated: 13 November 2025
The 20-point plan recently endorsed by Israel and Hamas is a document of powerful vision and ambition. Despite no one thinking it would be possible, the plan brought about a long-overdue ceasefire, following two years of horror and destruction that will scar us for generations.
The war that the 20-point plan seeks to end has already stretched far beyond the narrow geography between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Its shockwaves have reached communities across the world, from Manchester to Melbourne.
Having lived and worked in both Melbourne and Jerusalem, I have seen first-hand how this conflict fractures societies and distorts our ability to recognise one another’s humanity.
To mend what is broken, we must begin by restoring human dignity to the centre of our public life. And so, in this spirit, I offer this 20-point framework, not as a perfect solution, but as an invitation. I hope it inspires Australia’s governments, institutions, and communities with examples that can begin a necessary and courageous conversation about how we live together.
Part One: Fostering understanding and respect
- Invest in mutual empathy and cross-cultural engagement
- A non-partisan grant will fund a pilot "Shared Futures Youth Camp" where 50 high school students from predominantly Muslim suburbs in Sydney's west and predominantly Jewish suburbs in Sydney's east spend a weekend together in a neutral setting, engaging in facilitated dialogue on shared challenges such as climate change, body image and social media.
Comments1
Janet Kossy17 November at 10:15 am
Thank you Ittay. Implementation of this plan would be vastly more likely to actually improve “social cohesion” than would Jillian Segal’s misdirected and draconian Special Envoy’s Plan to Combat Antisemitism.