Building Bridges Amid Conflict

In September 2024, I had the opportunity to take part in a three-day seminar in Cyprus, supported by an EU-funded initiative focused on women’s roles in peacebuilding. It was the first time many of us, Palestinian and Israeli participants, had come face-to-face since the escalations of October 2023. Emotions were high. We arrived carrying fear, frustration, anger, also a cautious willingness to listen. This space felt different from others. It was shaped by the belief that women can and should be part of peace efforts, not just as witnesses to conflict but as active agents of dialogue. The group, made up primarily of young women and some men, offered a unique setting where gender wasn’t the focus, but it subtly shaped the way we connected, through empathy, persistence, and the willingness to hold hard conversations.

We spent three intense days in workshops designed to challenge assumptions and spark dialogue. We questioned each other’s narratives and at times even blamed each other. Not every discussion led somewhere productive, and some ended in silence or tears. But there were also real breakthroughs, moments of clarity when we recognized shared fears, similar frustrations, and a common longing for normal life.
One truth became impossible to ignore: the current cycle of violence has no future. Whether through a one-state or two-state solution, both sides acknowledged that peace is the only viable path forward. And perhaps most telling was how we reached that conclusion—not through debate alone, but through the act of listening. It was clear that each of us carried stories shaped by deeply personal experiences. The narratives we brought to the table weren’t abstract, they were lived. And in a group largely made up of women, we noticed how our stories often centered around protecting our families, losing our freedom of movement, or being left out of the broader political conversation. That lens gave the seminar a different kind of depth.

What gave me hope was not that we solved anything. We didn’t. But we showed up. We spoke. We listened. Even while war continues, 14 women from sides chose to sit in a room together and try to understand one another. That fragile act of showing up, supported by a project that believes in the power of women to lead and heal, is a small but meaningful step toward something better.

By Mariam