Reporter: Yael Braudo-Bahat, Co-Director, Women Wage Peace
The Paris Summit took place in June 2025 under the auspices of French President Emmanuel Macron, as a preparatory meeting for the international conference originally scheduled to take place at the United Nations headquarters in New York on June 19. The New York summit, a joint initiative of France and Saudi Arabia, was intended to focus on implementing the two-state solution as a pathway to ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The goal of the Paris preparatory summit was to integrate, for the first time, Israeli and Palestinian civil society—including peace organizations, professionals, community leaders, and activists—not as symbolic participants, but as key actors in shaping political strategy. This marked a milestone in implementing the G7’s new 2024 policy, which recognized the central role of civil society in advancing a sustainable peace. The impressive campaign to integrate civil society into the political process has been led in recent years by the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP), which also headed the team that organized the Paris Summit, together with the French government and the Paris Peace Forum. Additional partners included the 1325 Political Agreement Forum and other Israeli and Palestinian organizations.
Despite the fact that a military confrontation between Israel and Iran began the night before the Paris Summit, and although most of us did not know when or how we would be able to return home due to the abrupt closure of Israeli airspace—the summit proceeded as planned. Hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian activists, journalists, experts, and professionals gathered in Paris, where in addition to public panels, they engaged in substantial and impactful working group discussions. These sessions resulted in a determined civil society agenda that will directly influence the upcoming New York conference and its outcomes.
Sixteen members of Women Wage Peace’s “Team of 100” participated in the conference—including the two co-directors and two board members. Five of them were invited as official representatives of the movement, while others joined through partner organizations, but we all came with a shared message: civil society—and especially women—must be meaningfully included throughout the political process. While Women Wage Peace does not promote a specific political solution and therefore does not explicitly advocate for the two-state solution that stood at the heart of the summit, we firmly believed that in every serious discussion about the future of the region—we must be present and bring the insights we’ve gathered over 11 years of grassroots activism. Alongside us were many women from across the region; in fact, approximately 50% of the summit participants were women.
The main day of the summit was Friday, June 13. In addition to lectures and panels, eight working groups convened—mirroring the working groups planned for New York: A sovereign Palestinian state living side-by-side with Israel; Security for Israelis and Palestinians; Narrative for peace; Economic viability of the Palestinian state; Humanitarian action and reconstruction; Preserving the two-state solution; Respect for international law; Peace Day effort. The purpose of the groups was to formulate recommendations to be submitted to the UN working group facilitators (each working group will be co-facilitated by two representatives from different countries). Preparation for the discussions was extensive and included advanced analysis of hundreds of positions shared by Israelis and Palestinians, which were processed and synthesized using artificial intelligence technology developed and implemented by ALLMEP. At the conclusion of the group discussions, a video meeting was held between the Paris facilitators and their counterparts for the New York summit, during which each pair presented the key recommendations. The full documents were also submitted. There was a genuine sense of collaboration—not only between governments, but between people. We witnessed civil society—women and men—playing a real role in shaping the region’s political future, and we felt the impact of our joint efforts bearing fruit.
Following the final session, participants were invited to the Élysée Palace, where President Macron held a special press conference in light of the escalation with Iran. At the end of his statement, President Macron stepped out onto the palace lawn and addressed the conference participants personally. His words were moving and unequivocal: he expressed clear support for integrating civil society into the political process, emphasized France’s commitment to advancing the two-state solution, and formally accepted the call to action formulated by the hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists—recognizing it as a meaningful contribution to the framework to be presented at the UN summit in New York. With this, Macron marked a historic moment—a European head of state treating civil society as a genuine partner at the negotiation table. He praised the initiatives of Israeli and Palestinian civil society and highlighted the importance of mutual recognition and humanity between the peoples. At the end of his remarks, President Macron also received a copy of our Mothers’ Call.
He remained on the lawn and spoke with many participants. Toward the end of the gathering, around 8:00 pm Paris time (9:00 pm in Israel), we were all asked to gather for a group photo taken from the palace balcony. In the now-historic photo, Macron stands surrounded by dozens of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists. Just seconds after the photo was taken, phones began buzzing—the alert of the first Iranian missile strike. Instantly, we all turned to our phones to check what was happening at home. It was a surreal moment, reflecting more than anything the tension in which the summit took place: between brave hope for change and an ongoing violent security reality.
The New York summit, originally scheduled for June 19 and postponed due to the Israeli-Iranian escalation, will now take place at the end of July. Our eyes are now on the UN to see how—and to what extent—our recommendations, as civil society, will influence the recommendations developed by the official state working groups. We, as organizations, will continue to ensure that the civilian voice is heard loud and clear, and that civil society participation in political processes is continuous and meaningful.
