What does ‘peace’ mean to Israelis?

+ local news needs local entrepreneurs US Edition - Today's top story: Israeli peace activists are more anguished than ever − in a movement that has always been diverse and divided, with differing visions of 'peace' [View in browser]( US Edition | 4 March 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Understanding Biden’s executive order to protect data security]( - [Census data reveals who was displaced by disasters in 2023]( - [Why do bees have queens?]( Lead story The past five months have been anguished ones for peace activists in Israel. Several people involved in peace and solidarity groups were murdered during Hamas’ attacks – attacks that, in critics’ eyes, proved just how misguided the movement is. For many activists, on the other hand, Oct. 7 and the war have only underscored the urgency for a larger peace. Defining “peace” has never been easy, though, let alone forging it. Israel has long had multiple peace movements, explains Atalia Omer, a professor at the University of Notre Dame who studies religion, violence and peacekeeping. Different groups emphasize different root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, [which shape their visions of what justice should look like](. Demographics play a role, too. Traditionally, for example, the group most associated with Israel’s mainstream “peace camp” was secular, Ashkenazi Jews. Today’s right-wing government, though, has prompted some observant Jews to get involved with peace efforts, saying those leaders don’t speak for them. [ [Understand what’s going on in Washington and around the world. Get our Politics Weekly newsletter.]( ] Molly Jackson Religion and Ethics Editor A demonstration on Dec. 28, 2023, in Tel Aviv, organized by the peace group Standing Together, calls for a cease-fire. Anadolu via Getty Images [Israeli peace activists are more anguished than ever − in a movement that has always been diverse and divided, with differing visions of ‘peace’]( Atalia Omer, University of Notre Dame Secular Jewish groups have historically made up the majority of solidarity and peace groups. But Palestinian citizens and observant Jews are also key. 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