FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

October 7, 2024

CONTACT

Rachel Levine | rachel@allianceforpeacebuilding.org

Washington, DC, USA —On the first anniversary of October 7th Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians, the Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP) calls for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, unimpeded humanitarian access to deliver much-needed assistance in Gaza, and the adherence to international humanitarian law by all parties. We also call for an immediate end to the Israeli attacks in Lebanon and increasing settler violence in the West Bank. But it is not enough to end the current violence; we must break the status quo and look toward building security and sustainable peace for all in the region. AfP endorses the Phoenix Plan as a first step toward beginning dialogue toward building a sustainable peace process. As we mark the one-year anniversary of the attacks in Israel and ensuing violent conflict, we call the international community to action today and every day moving forward until all people in the region can live in safety, dignity, and peace.

AfP condemns the violent attacks in Israel one year ago today, which led to approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 people taken hostage. We also condemn the Israeli response in Gaza, resulting in a dire humanitarian situation, the displacement of more than 1.9 million people, and the loss of more than 41,600 Palestinian lives—with more women and children being killed in one year than in any other conflict. This conflict has now spread to Lebanon and the West Bank, giving rise to the displacement of more than 60,000 people in Northern Israel and the death of more than 1,600 people in Lebanon from Israeli airstrikes. In the West Bank, Israeli forces have killed more than 697 Palestinians and faced a drastic increase in violent attacks from Israeli settlers.

Last month at AfP’s annual PeaceCon 2024, we convened a high-level panel, From Polarization to Solidarity: Creating a Conducive Environment for a Political Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict with a focus on how to end the status quo of recurring violence and conflict in the region. Hiba Qasas, Executive Director of Principles for Peace, called for the international community to "move from the binary of ‘I stand with Israel’ and ‘I stand with Palestine’ to… ‘I stand with the rights of both peoples for a shared future.’” Avi Meyerstein, Founder and President of Alliance for Middle East Peace, said, “We need to immediately pivot to a multilateral diplomatic process with a clear horizon.” 

The Phoenix Plan is a framework designed to create the necessary preconditions for a diplomatically brokered sustainable peace; as such, it does not tackle the final status issues that were the focus of the Oslo Agreements. The plan is not exhaustive, but puts forth five lines of effort: (1) reconstruction of Gaza; (2) responsive Israeli and Palestinian governance; (3) transitional justice and accountability; (4) shifting the role of the international community, and (5) preparing the public for peace. Regarding the role of the international community, the plan calls for a radical shift in engagement, whereby countries would change their lens of support from pro-Palestine or pro-Israel to one that recognizes the fates of both peoples as intertwined. Further, the plan asks the international community to engage proactively rather than only at times of escalation.

AfP calls for the status quo no more and demands that all parties to the conflict and the international community work toward an inclusive and durable political solution that will prevent and reduce violent conflict and build sustainable peace in Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, and the region.

About Us:
The Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP), named the “number one influencer and change agent” among peacebuilding institutions worldwide, is an award-winning nonprofit and nonpartisan network of 225+ organizations working in 181 countries to prevent and reduce violent conflict and build sustainable peace. AfP cultivates a network to strengthen and advance the peacebuilding field, enabling peacebuilding organizations to achieve greater impact—tackling issues too large for any one organization to address alone.