We found each other through grief, but are united by a vision for peace

We are an Israeli and a Palestinian who met only once before October 7th. We found each other through pain and loss, united by one mission: a vision for peace based on equality, dignity, justice and safety for all. Maoz lost his parents on October 7th, and Aziz lost his brother in the first Intifada. We both lost many more loved ones and have seen firsthand the devastation of a century of conflict.

Some might call us naïve, but history shows that peace is inevitable. It’s not a question of if, but when—and at what cost. The price is already unbearable, and every day peace is delayed, the burden grows heavier. After the 1973 war, a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt seemed impossible, yet five years later it was signed. In the early 90s, peace in Northern Ireland seemed far off, and few believed peace could happen—but it did, just a few years later.

We are not naive, we do hear the sounds of bombs, the anger, and the devastation in Gaza. We have friends whose relatives are in captivity. We know too many people who have lost loved ones. We too are angry. But we cannot let violence dominate the conversation. We cannot stand by as others endure the same loss and pain we’ve felt. We raise our voices because the present is a nightmare and desperately need a better future!

In the past year, we've visited over 20 countries, including many former and current conflict zones- Northern Ireland, Rwanda, South Africa, Colombia, and Vietnam among others. In each place, we saw a common theme: the immense toll of war, no matter its outcome. Victory is a notion built on corpses of many innocent people and therefore it's never achieved.

War, injustice, and genocide are often justified and widely supported at the time. People become intoxicated by nationalism, mistaking it for patriotism. Too often, majorities excuse atrocities. In some cases, peace itself is met with resistance. Those speaking for peace are labeled naive or traitors. But years later, many regret their support for conflict and war. They realize they were misled by leaders who fed them disinformation, fueling fear and hatred.