AUP graduation ceremony at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

George and Irina Schaeffer Center

A Conversation with Peace Activists about the Israel-Palestinian War in Gaza

Thursday, March 28, 2024 - 17:00 to 19:00

Amidst the catastrophic loss of life in the current war between Israel and Palestine, a political settlement is more remote than ever. Nearly two decades have elapsed since the end of the peace process. Open-ended lethal violence deepens the enmity between peoples with every day that passes. War will scar the psyches of those who survive it.  What is to be done? How to forge mutual recognition of humanity and rights between these antagonists? What future projects might build bridges and trust?  Can civil society initiatives offer a way forward?  The George and Irina Schaeffer Center for the Study of Genocide, Human Rights, and Conflict Prevention hopes to create a forum for reimagining the future. We invite activists to gather, share their thoughts, and help open a path, in these dark times, toward coexistence and justice.

Orly Noy is an Iranian born journalist and political activist, Editor at +972 Magazine's Hebrew website Local Call, chair of the human rights organization B'Tselem, a translator of Farsi Literature into Hebrew and an activist with the Palestinian Democratic National party, Balad.

Dr.  Rula Hardal  is the Palestinian Co-Executive Director of “A Land for All – Two States, One Homeland”. and a research fellow at the Kogod Center for the Study of Jewish and Contemporary Thought at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. Rula received her doctorate in political science from the University of Hanover in Germany, where she also worked as a lecturer of Political Science and International Relations . In 2015, she returned to Israel and joined Al-Quds University in Abu Dis, East Jerusalem,. Rula has also been a visiting professor of political science at The Arab American University in Ramallah, The University of Osaka, and University of Lisbon. She is a member of two research groups on nationalism and citizenship in Israel and peace based-partnership at the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem.

John Lyndon is the Executive Director of the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP), the largest network of peacebuilding NGOs in Israel/Palestine. He brings with him over a decade of experience leading NGOs concerned with conflict resolution and international development, with a particular focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the pivotal role civil society can play in any lasting resolution. John is a  regular contributor and commentator on events in the Middle East and is a frequent analyst on the BBC, CNN, France 24 and Sky News. He is a former member of the Under 35 Steering Committee at the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House, and a Visiting Fellow at King’s College London’s Department of Middle Eastern Studies.