From Adversaries to Allies: Israelis & Palestinians Pursuing Peace

Former combatants Iris Gur and Souli Khatib once fought on opposing sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Today, they are united as members of Combatants for Peace (CfP), a joint Palestinian-Israeli movement of former fighters now working toward freedom and equality for all through nonviolent activism. Discover why Gur and Khatib decided to set aside their weapons and embrace nonviolent resistance when they join Rabbi Mo Salth to discuss their transformative journeys and CfP’s vision of Palestinian-Israeli partnership. 

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Iris Gur is an educator and social activist, a former school principal in the Israeli education system, and a human rights activist. Gur has successfully led organizational and pedagogical processes and changes while emphasizing the strengths and needs of both individuals and society. Gur has served as the Israeli Community Director at CfP since 2021. She holds a M.A. in Educational Administration and Leadership with Honors from Tel Aviv University and a B.Ed in Extended Mathematics from Beit Berel College 

Sulaiman Khatib is Combatants for Peace's Co-Founder and International Relations Director. He was nominated for the 2017 and 2018 Nobel Peace Prizes. He is a Board Member of American Friends of Combatants for Peace and the Middle East Initiatives. As a local Palestinian community organizer, renowned international speaker, and lecturer, he has been recognized worldwide for his contributions to promoting peace, social justice, and equality for all. Khatib is the author of In This Place Together: A Palestinian’s Journey to Collective Liberation, alongside co-author Penina Eilberg-Schwartz. The work chronicles the powerful experiences that led him to dedicate his life to joint nonviolence, through encountering the deep injustice of torture, witnessing the power of hunger strikes, and studying Jewish history.