Two ALLMEP Milestones
June 11 and 12, 2026, marked two major landmark events in a journey ALLMEP and our 200+ members have been on for two decades: the launch of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, and the unprecedented integration of Israeli and Palestinian civil society into high-level diplomatic planning.
For over two decades, ALLMEP has championed a fundamental truth: lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians cannot be built by top-down diplomacy alone. It requires a resilient, well-funded, and organized civil society to build the trust, parallel constituencies, and human infrastructure necessary to sustain political agreements.
In June 2026, that conviction was vindicated on the global stage.
Amidst a backdrop of ongoing tension and conflict in the region — and a constant threat of the renewal of full-scale war — we witnessed a real shift in how the international community approaches conflict resolution. Through a sequence of high-level diplomatic milestones spanning from Chevening to Paris, Israeli and Palestinian civil society didn’t just ask for a seat at the diplomatic table — they took it.
As world leaders convened for the 2026 G7 Leaders’ Summit in Évian, France, they did so with a clear, unified, and tangible roadmap in hand, shaped directly by the changemakers on the ground.
ALLMEP was founded more than two decades ago on a simple conviction: Israeli and Palestinian civil society holds enormous, largely untapped potential to help overcome decades of diplomatic failure.
Our theory of change has always rested on two pillars derived from that conviction:
👉 Peacebuilders must be adequately resourced through a government-backed International Fund connected to diplomacy.
👉 And their expertise, ideas, and role must be integrated and institutionalized into the diplomatic process itself.
In June 2026, both pillars moved decisively from vision to reality.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot addresses the diplomatic and peacebuilding communities at the 2026 Paris Call (Photo by: Philémon Henry/MEAE)
On June 11th, at a trilateral meeting in the UK, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced that their governments will launch and fund a new International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace – a concept pioneered and championed by ALLMEP over the past ~15 years to scale grassroots peacebuilding efforts.
First conceived by ALLMEP in 2004 and explicitly modeled after the transformative success of the International Fund for Ireland, this new multilateral institution represents a paradigm shift. It creates a mechanism to radically scale and institutionalize the reach of grassroots peacebuilding.
Speaking on the strategic necessity of the fund, Foreign Secretary Cooper noted:
“While diplomats sign the agreements, there must be real, sustained support for the civil society organizations building the dialogue, trust, and parallel constituencies required to make a two-state solution a reality.”
ALLMEP Executive Director John Lyndon and civil society leaders join Ministers Barrot, Cooper, and Anand for a private diplomatic breakfast (Photo by: Judith Litvine/MEAE)
The very next day, ministers travelled to Paris where, on June 12th, 150+ Israeli and Palestinian leaders from civil society gathered under the auspices of French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, joined by more than a dozen foreign ministers from the G7 and beyond, and senior representatives from over 50 countries. Civil society had a clear call to G7 leaders: act now to save the narrowing chances of a two state solution, and ensure peacebuilding between Israelis and Palestinians has the diplomatic backing and financial support needed to drive change within each society, and prise open the diplomatic window. As the European Union’s Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas said from the stage: “Civil society is not an afterthought in diplomacy, it is indispensable for building peace”
The day began with a private diplomatic breakfast. ALLMEP leadership and peacebuilding pioneers sat down with French Foreign Minister Barrot, Foreign Secretary Cooper, and Foreign Minister Anand to deliver actionable policy recommendations ahead of the G7 summit, and discuss the impact the newly launched International Fund can unlock in the peacebuilding community.
Following the breakfast, the focus transitioned to the main event: a major summit hosted by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Institut du Monde Arabe, co-organized alongside Les Guerrières de la Paix and Principles for Peace. Throughout the day, leading experts, diplomats, and 150 peacebuilders from across the ALLMEP network anchored five intensive working groups. Drawing on the expertise and lived experience of hundreds of peacebuilders, their proposals were presented to attending ministers, and culminated in the publication of the 2026 Paris Call — a policy roadmap to be delivered directly to G7 leaders ahead of their summit in Évian.
ALLMEP Regional Director Nivine Sandouka sits on a panel for promoting efficient narratives for peace and progress towards democracy and reforms (Photo by: Judith Litvine/MEAE)
We Are Not Starting from Zero
This double breakthrough — the launch of an international fund and the direct integration of civil society into G7 planning — was not an overnight success. It is the result of a journey measured in decades, not days.
Getting here required building an entire ecosystem from scratch. Today, ALLMEP stands as the largest network of Palestinian and Israeli civil society peacebuilders in the region, encompassing more than 200 member NGOs. Through continuous, data-driven advocacy — fueled by our AI Pulse research, and the expansion of this vast network — we are steadily closing the gap between grassroots changemakers and global decision-makers.
As the Paris summit drew to a close, a rare, deeply symbolic, and emotional scene unfolded outside the halls of diplomacy. Hundreds of summit participants — Israelis and Palestinians walking side-by-side — marched along the Seine River to the Pont de la Tournelle bridge, carrying a massive banner reading: “Two Peoples, Two States, One Future.”
In a beautiful testament to the enduring power of cultural coexistence, the march was led by acclaimed singers Noa (Achinoam Nini) and Mira Awad. Standing against the backdrop of the Parisian skyline, they sang together — voices blending in Hebrew and Arabic — echoing the message they have carried to the world for decades: Peace is Possible.
Hundreds of peacebuilders gather on the Pont de la Tournelle, advocating for peace and a two-state solution (Photo by: Philémon Henry/MEAE)
After years of devastating conflict, the international community, alongside Israelis and Palestinians, is ready to pivot from the cycle of war toward stabilization, recovery, and genuine conflict resolution.
With the International Fund and the Paris Call, we are finally putting the structural infrastructure in place to offer a generational alternative to endless violence. For the first time, global diplomats are working hand-in-hand with an organized, resilient civil society network.
These milestones were only made possible through the unwavering commitment and bravery of the peacebuilders on the ground. As we look toward the work ahead, we do so with the knowledge that the foundation has been laid. Step by step, we are proving what is possible when we build together.
Related Press Coverage & Links
📰 The Guardian: Palestinian and Israeli civil society groups urge G7 to take action on Gaza
📰 Haaretz: Soft Power in Paris: Inside France’s Push to Get Israelis and Palestinians Talking Again
📰 Haaretz: Israeli and Palestinian Groups Meet in France to Support the Two-state Solution
📰 Reuters: UK, Canada, and Australia Announce Launch of International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace
📰 Reuters: Israeli, Palestinian civil society groups meet in France as two-state hopes dim | Reuters
📰 Al Jazeera: UK, Australia, Canada launch $4m peace fund for Israel-Palestine conflict
📰 Times of Israel: UK, Australia, Canada announce ‘International Peace Fund’ for Israelis and Palestinians | The Times of Israel
📰 F24: Avi Meyerstein, Founder and President of ALLMEP: Acknowledging rights and needs of Israelis and Palestinians: Shared path towards a secure future
📰 The National News: Palestinian and Israeli activists call on G7 to keep two-state solution alive
📰 Forth: Israeli, Palestinian civil society groups meet in France as two-state hopes dim | Forth
📰 Ynet (Hebrew): בלי ישראל, בלי ארה”ב: ועידת פריז למען פתרון שתי המדינות
📰 CBC: Canada pledges $100M for Palestinians facing settler violence, humanitarian crisis | CBC News
📰 Jewish News (Avi’s OpEd): The extremists played the long game. Now, we are, too
📰 Collettiva: (Italian) Pace in Palestina, la road map della società civile
📰 Ammon News (Arabic): نداء باريس لحل الدولتين: دعوة للحفاظ على السلام قبل أن يصبح مستحيلاً | كتاب عمون | وكالة عمون الاخبارية
📰 Radio France (French): À Paris, pacifistes israéliens et palestiniens se parlent, mais n’ont pas les moyens de changer la donne
📰 Yahoo Finance: UK, Australia, and Canada Announce Launch of Major New International Fund to Scale Civil Society and Tackle Root Causes of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
📰 French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs: Official Declaration of the 2026 Paris Call for the Two-State Solution
📰 Jewish News / AFP: Israeli and Palestinian Activists Take Peace Proposals and ‘Paris Call’ to G7 Leaders
