Israeli-Palestinian peace advocates honoured with inaugural Vivian Silver award
May Pundak and Dr Rula Hardal of A Land for All discuss winning honour named after peacenik victim of 7 October and their vision for peace
Two peace activists at the forefront of Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation have been awarded the Vivian Silver Impact Award in recognition of their work to a shared future for both peoples.
May Pundak, an Israeli Jew, and Dr Rula Hardal, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, serve as co-directors of A Land for All (ALFA), a joint movement advocating for a new political model based on two independent states, Israel and Palestine, within a shared homeland.
The award, named after the late Canadian-Israeli activist Vivian Silver, is given annually to two women, one Jewish and one Arab, who have made significant strides in advancing peace, gender equality, or Arab-Jewish partnership.
Silver, 74, who was murdered in the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel, spent her life promoting equality, coexistence and a shared future between Israelis and Palestinians.
Speaking to Jewish News, Pundak and Hardal described receiving the award as both an honour and solemn responsibility.
“Vivian was a trailblazer, an incredible leader,” Pundak reflected. “She was a believer, and she was persistent. She didn’t run away from conflicts or difficulties. She lived on the border of Gaza and was constantly moving forward when it came to imagining and doing the work for a better future for Israelis and Palestinians.”
Hardal echoes these sentiments, highlighting the emotional weight of receiving an award in Silver’s name. “It’s also sad that we are holding this award in the name of such an incredible woman who was killed by my people on 7 October,” she said. She invested her life in creating a better life for both sides.”
Vivian Silver’s commitment to peace was rooted in pragmatism and collaboration, principles that guide ALFA’s work. The organisation aims to move beyond the stagnation of past negotiations by proposing a confederal model that acknowledges the interconnectedness of Israelis and Palestinians.
“She was an idealist, but she was very much a realist,” Pundak noted. “She was pragmatic and looked for dramatic ways to do important political and idealist work. She knew that if Israelis and Palestinians don’t find a way to live together, we’re just going to kill each other, which is what’s happening right now.”
This ethos is embedded in ALFA’s two states, one homeland model. The initiative recognises both people’s claims to the land whilst ensuring that mutual recognition, power-sharing, and free movement replace the rigid barriers of previous peace proposals.
While some critics argue that peace efforts should be postponed in light of recent violence, Hardal rejected this notion outright.
“Maybe we need another two, three, or four decades until we are emotionally able to speak about peace,” she said. “That is something I cannot accept. Nobody has the right to tell us it’s not the time. The time was before 7 October. And it is definitely the time now.”
For Pundak, the war and its atrocities have only reinforced the need for an urgent political solution. “The only way to truly win against Hamas is through a political solution,” she said. “They are dragging us into an impossible military cycle, and the only way to resist that is by choosing peace.”
Looking ahead, Pundak and Hardal hope to make ALFA’s vision the leading political framework for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Their organisation has already garnered international support, including backing from Virgin Unite, the philanthropic arm of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group.
“Our goal is to ensure that people who choose life, between the river and the sea and around the world, have a political vision they can rally behind,” Pundak explained. “We need to end this conflict once and for all and not take any less than that.”
While their movement is still growing, the award has only strengthened their determination to push forward.
“Vivian was much more of a visionary than we are,” Pundak admitted. “We are pragmatists. We see ourselves as doing the political work that our leadership has failed in. That is how we will honour her legacy.”
With growing momentum and renewed international focus, Pundak and Hardal are committed to ensuring that Silver’s life’s work does not end with her but instead continues to inspire a future of peace, dignity, and equality.
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