Abstract

Peace movements have been an integral part of the Israeli political landscape since the inception of the Palestinian–Israeli conflict. From as far back as the beginning of the twentieth century, Jews and Arabs have sought constructive ways to share the land. These efforts, which continued on a small scale after the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, gathered steam after the 1967 war and flourished in the wake of the First Intifada. Non-governmental and grassroots initiatives designed to promote a lasting Israeli–Palestinian peace have persisted into the twenty-first century, and many of the positions they promoted have become part of the political mainstream in the country. In recent years, however, their number and range have decreased and their effectiveness has been seriously curtailed (Chazan 2005).