For the sixth Candid Conversation on Palestine, Israel, and Europe, we are joined by Sulaiman Khatib, co-founder of Combatants for Peace - a grassroots movement built by former Palestinian and Israeli fighters who chose joint nonviolence to work toward ending the occupation and creating a just, shared future.

Sulaiman reflects on his personal transformation from armed resistance and a decade in prison to rejecting military solutions and zero-sum thinking. The conversation traces the history, beliefs, and ideas behind Combatants for Peace, explores their current work and projects, and examines what it takes to open up to the narrative of the “other” while staying grounded in one’s own. Sulaiman highlights nonviolence not only as a political strategy but as a way of living and a path toward collective liberation. The discussion also addresses the importance and impact of youth education in Palestine and Israel, the challenges the movement faced after October 7, and the forms of international support that are most needed today.

In this episode of the EPICON Podcast, Ehud Olmert, former Prime Minister of Israel, joins Daniel Gerlach, Director of the Candid Foundation and Editor-in-Chief of zenith magazine, to discuss the aftermath of October 7, the future of Israeli–Palestinian peace, and Europe’s role in reviving the two-state solution.

In this Candid Conversation on Palestine, Israel, and Europe, Anne Bauer, Political Officer at the Candid Foundation, speaks with Samer Sinijlawi, renowned Palestinian political activist and founder of the Jerusalem Development Fund. As a teenager during the First Intifada, Samer spent five years in an Israeli prison. Today, he works to promote dialogue and understanding between Israelis and Palestinians. From his childhood in East Jerusalem to his encounters with Israelis across political divides, he shares a rare perspective on trust, empathy, and leadership.

In this episode, Valeska Heldt—Political Officer at the Candid Foundation and a lawyer by training—speaks with legal expert Dr. Eitan Diamond, who sheds light on the growing challenges faced by civil society and humanitarian actors in the Israeli-Palestinian context. He also unpacks the often-confused fields of human rights and humanitarian law, showing how the law is stretched to justify violations rather than protect civilians. Together, Eitan and Valeska clarify how these violations create legal obligations for third states, including EU member states.

In this episode of the EPICON Podcast, Pascal Bernard (Political Officer at the Candid Foundation) speaks with Shira Ben-Sasson Furstenberg, Associate Director of the New Israel Fund. Together, they explore Shira’s personal story, her faith, her work in Israeli civil society, and her vision for peace in Palestine and Israel.

Drawing on her deeply personal family history – including the remarkable stories of how both her grandmothers survived thanks to the courage of others during the Hebron massacre of 1929 and the Holocaust in Ukraine – Shira reflects on the power of human solidarity across borders.

As a modern Orthodox Jew, she is part of a small but determined community that places compassion, equality, and responsibility at the heart of Jewish life. In her role at the New Israel Fund, she works for peace, democracy, and coexistence.

Shira’s voice – rare, courageous, and profoundly human – offers a vision that is more urgent and necessary than ever.

In this debut episode of the EPICON podcast, Dr. Jamal Nusseibeh discusses the »Palestinian Armistice Plan«—a bold proposal for a long-term ceasefire, international protection, and a political restart. We explore the broader political context surrounding Netanyahu, Trump, and the two-state debate, as well as the role of safety as a foundation for peace. Dr. Nusseibeh reflects on the urgent need for internal Palestinian reform, including the future of the PLO and engagement with Hamas. The conversation also examines the idea of international peacekeepers, potential political outcomes—from two states to a confederation—and why peace ultimately depends not on destiny, but on political courage. The episode concludes with a look at Europe’s potential role as a transformative actor in the region.

About EPICON:

Palestinian and Israeli civil society still has agency—agency over shaping the current realities and the future of Palestine and Israel. Against all odds, courageous individuals from both sides are choosing to engage, to defy political stagnation, and to present concrete ideas and plans for a peaceful solution.

These individuals insist that peace is not simply a diplomatic agreement; it must be built on the ground, through dialogue, human connection, and shared commitment. They claim that it is the responsibility of political leaders to listen and to translate their insights and proposals into decision-making and real action.

Our Palestinian and Israeli guests on this podcast include former prisoners and soldiers, relatives of hostages, leading peace activists and mediators, scholars, legal experts, and more—voices rarely heard in Europe. They bring forward-thinking, pragmatic, and actionable ideas in response to a central question: What can Europe do?

Hallo und zurück zu unserer Zenith Podcast - Gesprächsreihe mit Menschen aus der Nahost Region, oder die dort gearbeitet, gelebt haben.
Ich habe eine längere Elternzeitpause gemacht und freue mich sehr, wieder mit neuen Folgen für euch zu starten. In der Zwischenzeit ist unser Podcast um einige neue Formate bzw. Folgen gewachsen. Meine Kolleginnen und Kollegen sprechen in den Briefings viel über die aktuelle Lage und analysieren diese als Nahost Experten - also unbedingt reinhören.
Ich freue mich, dass wir heute in ein Land zurückkehren, dass in den letzten Wochen und Monaten viel in den Nachrichten war: Syrien.
Positiv insofern, dass es dort zu einer Revolution/Putsch einer Rebellenoffensive Ende November 2024 kam, bei der der syrische Präsident Assad gestürzt wurde und die mehr als 50 Jahre andauernde Herrschaft der Familie Assad beendete, die sich ins Ausland absetzte. Es wird aber seitdem viel darüber gesprochen, analysiert in wie weit man den Rebellen, eine Koalition syrischer Oppositionsgruppen unter der Führung von Haiʾat Tahrir asch-Scham (HTS) trauen kann, dass sie das Land nicht erneut einer Diktatur unterwerfen oder daraus einen streng islamischen, konservativen Staat machen. Von daher bleibt es abzuwarten, in welche Richtung es in Zukunft Syriens gehen wird. Aber Syrien hat unabhängig von den Nachrichten noch mehr zu bieten, Alltag, Leben, Geschichten und Erinnerungen. Über diese möchte ich heute mit meinem Gast sprechen: Nibras Naami.
Schön das du da bist! Du bist seit anderthalb Jahren Leiter des ersten deutschen Zentrums für Kinderhämatologie in Herdecke. Mit einem Kollegen produziert du erfolgreich den medizinischen Podcast "Hand, Fuß, Mund“, wo ihr viele Tipps für Eltern gebt, bei Erkrankungen oä. ihrer Kinder. und demnächst erscheint euer gemeinsames Kinderbuch. Deine Eltern sind aus Syrien.
Erste Frage: Ende November 2024 als du die Nachrichten gehört, gesehen hast - was waren deine ersten Gedanken?

Fotocredit: Hanna Witte

Die Umsetzung von Donald Trumps Plan für Gaza würde für über zwei Millionen Palästinenser die Zwangsvertreibung aus der Heimat bedeuten. Mit Christian Hanelt, Nahost-Experte der Bertelsmann Stiftung, spricht Josefin Herrmann über die Hintergründe der Verhandlungen, internationale Reaktionen und Trumps Kalkül.

Hier gibt's die neue zenith-Ausgabe 2/24 zu kaufen:
https://shop.zenith.me

Mit Christian Meier von der @faznet.bsky.social spricht Josefin Herrmann über die politischen, militärischen und diplomatischen Auswirkungen der Waffenruhe in Nahost.

Hier gibt's die neue zenith-Ausgabe 2/24 zu kaufen:
https://shop.zenith.me

Wir analysieren die geopolitischen Interessen, Deutschlands Rolle im Wiederaufbau und die Herausforderungen für eine friedliche Zukunft Syriens – von den humanitären Problemen bis hin zu den politischen Perspektiven für den Übergangsprozess.