Amidst Regional Escalation, Civil Society Took Center Stage in Paris. Here’s What Comes Next.

Last week, something remarkable happened in Paris.

As violence surged yet again in the region, hundreds of Palestinian and Israeli peacebuilders gathered in Paris under one roof: not despite the moment, but because of it. As Israel and Iran ramped up their attacks on one another, these peacebuilders – many of whom had taken the risk to attend, and ended up stranded and far from their families amidst the escalation – gathered to issue a different kind of response to the situation: one not rooted in fear or retaliation, but rather in dignity, security, equality, and genuine respect for the other.

Convened under the patronage of President Emmanuel Macron, hosted by the Paris Peace Forum, and co-led by ALLMEP, the Paris Call for Peace was not just a conference. It was a turning point. One that implemented the G7 policy shift that we secured last year and placed civil society at the center of diplomacy for the first time.

This event marked the culmination of years of work by ALLMEP and our partners to ensure that a basic reality was acknowledged: that any serious peace process must include those who live the reality of the conflict and are working daily to resolve it.

Macron’s message could not have been clearer:

“You provided the evidence that there is such a convergence between the two civil societies, completely destroying the process of dehumanization from both sides.
All the political decisions we can take (…) will be based on this approach of human dignity.
You live the consequences of what is happening on the ground. If you don’t provide a reasonable and sincere human and political perspective, you give the exclusivity to those who (offer only) strength and war.
Your fight is the only one with a future, a fight for human dignity and the capacity to live together. And this is the one we will support fondly. (…) Thanks to ALLMEP and all those who brought you here.”
–President Emmanuel Macron, addressing civil society peacebuilders convened by ALLMEP in Paris

Across three days, the voices of civil society shaped not just the conversation, but the agenda itself. Workshops, strategy meetings, and working groups were co-led by Palestinian and Israeli peacebuilders. The focus of the summit was on delivering a blueprint for the upcoming French-Saudi UN conference in New York. ALLMEP conducted a series of AI Pulse surveys with over 500 Israeli and Palestinian civil society leaders– including many who could not make it to Paris– that likely marked the largest joint dialogue since October 7th. This allowed the creation of comprehensive outputs that drew on the ideas of a broad cross-section of the peacebuilding field, ensuring that civil society’s voice was at the center of every conversation. These ideas were blended with over 80 reports and studies from our members and partners, and fed into the eight thematic working groups we convened in Paris. Whose co-chairs then held a live video call with representatives in New York to deliver policy proposals from Israeli-Palestinian peacebuilders directly to diplomatic stakeholders. This is not merely symbolic – it’s deeply strategic. So that civil society has a hand in creating a workable diplomatic horizon, and that diplomacy has a ground-game that can inspire and engage Palestinians and Israelis. 

The event culminated in a Civil Society Call to Action that was also drawn from peacebuilders’ inputs via our AI Pulse platform, and delivered directly to France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot by ALLMEP’s Regional Director Nivine Sandouka.

As one participant put it, “Don’t talk about us without us.” That message echoed across the rooms and panels of the Forum. And in Paris, for once, it was heard. The peacebuilders were then invited to a special reception at the Elysee Palace with President Macron, who was given the Call to Action and then spoke powerfully about the importance of this work, which “provides the evidence that there is a convergence between the two civil societies, which completely destroys the process of dehumanization from both sides.”  

As our members in the region face the coming days of war with Iran – and as those stranded abroad move through the anxiety of being separated from their families – we remember that the work we did in Paris is the work our members are here to do. By insisting on civil society’s role in any diplomatic process, our members made it clear that they’re here to advocate for an end to this war, whatever the stakes – and prevent the next.

As President Macron spoke, participants’ phones began to light up with news of a barrage of missiles being fired from Iran, threatening the loved ones of Israeli and Palestinian attendees alike. The contrast between this powerful moment in Paris and the broken reality in the region was clear to all. 

With flights grounded, participants used the time the next day to join ALLMEP’s specially convened Action Labs session, where our Director of Research Dr. Natali Levin-Schwartz led a process to develop joint campaigns and initiatives that could be launched in the coming weeks and months. While ALLMEP’s team rallied to provide emergency accommodation and travel options, by land, sea, and air, to the stranded peacebuilders.

This was an important milestone for ALLMEP, for civil society, and for a different type of diplomacy: one rooted in the lived realities of both Israelis and Palestinians, and infused with their ideas and priorities, as well as the interests and ambitions of the communities that they work within. Civil society is now finally being integrated into Israeli-Palestinian diplomatic thinking, and at a time when that has never been more necessary.