President Emmanuel Macron and EU High Representative Kaja Kallas address I/P peacebuilders, with €18m in new EU funding

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, May 9, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- French President Emmanuel Macron and EU High Representative Kaja Kallas address Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilders, with HRVP Kallas announcing €18m in new EU funding.

On Friday, May 9, 2025, the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) coordinated a diplomatic panel at Jerusalem’s People’s Peace Summit, hosted by the It’s Time coalition, made up of over 60 ALLMEP member and partner organizations. ALLMEP also hosted a luncheon attended by over 100 diplomats from around the world, including 30 ambassadors, 15 deputy heads of mission, and many civil society leaders.

The panel followed a video address from French President Emmanuel Macron, who expressed his solidarity with the work of civil society peacebuilders saying that peace “must be built, step by step, day after day, with courage and determination. And it needs you… It is in this spirit that France alongside Saudi Arabia will co-chair an international conference to implement the two-state solution,” Macron said, referencing the conference he announced last month. He continued, “This is the only solution that can guarantee peace for all, ensure the security of Israeli and Palestinian citizens and meet all their aspirations. Civil society will be at the heart of this conference. You, the organisations, citizens and committed men and women, will play a key role.”

This was followed by a video address from EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, who made a landmark announcement of EU support for Israeli-Palestinian civil society: “For decades, the European Union has been supporting grassroots civil society initiatives to promote peace and stability. And following October 7th, we decided to increase our support… Today, I can announce additional funding of €18 million euros.” HRVP Kallas also warned that “civil society must also have the space to operate. Legislation should never be used as a tool to reduce this space,” alluding to controversial new Israeli draft legislation that would tax foreign governmental investment in NGOs at 80%, a move that would have a crippling impact on civil society and its contribution toward a lasting and sustainable regional peace.

A panel was then hosted by Kari Reid, ALLMEP U.S. Director, and featured German Ambassador Steffen Seibert, Dutch Ambassador Marriet Schuurman, French Ambassador Frédéric Journès, and EU Representative Alexandre Stutzmann. The discussion at the panel centered around the role that the international community, particularly European diplomatic institutions, can play in promoting peace in Israel and Palestine and the critical role of civil society.

Following the panel, the diplomatic luncheon included remarks from ALLMEP’s regional team, as well as Angela Scharf of the largest grassroots peace movement in Israel, Women Wage Peace, followed by a keynote address by EU Deputy Head of Mission to Israel Andrea Pontiroli.

The luncheon concluded with an address from ALLMEP’s Executive Director John Lyndon, who highlighted the importance of civil society in seeking solutions to the Israel-Palestine conflict and the need to protect NGO’s from taxation and visa denial. Lyndon also drew on key research data from ALLMEP’s AI Pulse program, which uses cutting-edge AI technology to facilitate online dialogues within and across Palestinian and Israeli societies.

Notably, new data reveals that 66% of Israeli adults consider a regional normalization agreement that includes recognition of a Palestinian state to be at least tolerable, with 52% viewing it as acceptable, desirable, or essential. “Civil society is out there, socializing these concepts, building popular support and awareness among Israelis and Palestinians, and creating the space that diplomacy requires. We need any emerging peace process to be broader than ever before, bringing in multilateral partners and regional actors. But also deeper than ever before, with civil society at the core of any effort to deliver real peace and security to both peoples.”

To learn more or to arrange an interview with ALLMEP staff, please contact Joelle Milman at joelle@allmep.org

Joelle Milman
The Alliance for Middle East Peace
joelle@allmep.org
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