‘Only security for Israel is a Palestinian State’: Leila Shahid on Peace, Sovereignty & Path Forward

Annette Young is pleased to welcome Leila Shahid, former Palestinian Ambassador to the European Union and one of the most respected voices in Palestinian diplomacy. She reflects on the war in Gaza, the crisis within Israeli society, and the urgent need for a sovereign Palestinian state. Ms. Shahid speaks of an Israeli leadership increasingly bound and “imprisoned” by its own hardline promises, and a society deeply divided between those who fear a Palestinian state as a threat to their security, and those exhausted by decades of conflict who now believe peace is the only viable path forward. “Anything is better than sending your children to war every few years,” she says, voicing a sentiment she often hears from Israeli friends. Her vision is clear: a democratic, secular, and sovereign Palestinian state, is not only as a matter of justice, but the only solution that will ensure peace, security and stability for both the Israelis and the Palestinians.