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.

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?

Hosted by Meryem-Lyn Oral

Recorded at Publix Berlin - with special thanks to Frederic Gaillard for his support.

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EPICON is implemented by the Candid Foundation gGmbH with the financial support of the European Union.