Sir Mick Davis to chair new global council backing Israeli-Palestinian peace builders
New ALLMEP body launched in London to strengthen grassroots peace building and push forward long-planned International Fund
A new International council aimed at strengthening Israeli-Palestinian peace-building efforts has been launched in London, bringing together senior diplomats, policymakers and philanthropic leaders to support civil society initiatives across the region.
The Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) this week unveiled its Ambassadors’ Council at a breakfast gathering in the capital, as violence continues to escalate across Israel, Gaza and the wider Middle East.
The body will be chaired by Sir Mick Davis, the former chief executive of the Conservative Party and past chair of the Jewish Leadership Council, alongside UK members including former Middle East minister Alistair Burt, social entrepreneur Maysa Baransi and interfaith adviser Elizabeth Harris-Sawczenko OBE.
ALLMEP said the new council has been created to raise the profile of grassroots peace building and ensure Israeli and Palestinian civil society groups remain central to diplomatic efforts during one of the most turbulent periods in the conflict’s history.
Sir Mick told the launch event: “Very rarely do politicians lead ‘the street’. They see what’s happening in the street and follow. We need to create the street that politicians can follow.
The council will work to amplify the voices of peace builders and provide strategic support to the long-running campaign for an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, a multilateral initiative designed to scale up joint civil society projects across the region.
ALLMEP, which represents a network of more than 200 Israeli and Palestinian organisations, has championed the proposal for nearly two decades.
Its creation was expected to feature prominently at a major London conference organised with the UK government and held under the auspices of Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. The event, intended to bring together diplomats and grassroots leaders, has been postponed due to the outbreak of war.
Despite the escalation, organisers said it was crucial that peacebuilding work continues rather than being sidelined by conflict.
Over the past two years – one of the most violent periods in recent Israeli-Palestinian history – ALLMEP has worked with its network of organisations supporting communities affected by the conflict and advocating for greater international backing for joint initiatives.
Alistair Burt, who served as the UK’s Middle East minister under both Conservative and coalition governments, told the gathering that lasting stability in the region requires broader cooperation beyond short-term ceasefires.
He said: “It is no longer enough simply to end one conflict without successfully tackling the other regional issues which only blow up again – it’s like a jigsaw – the whole picture needs fixed. And one area of real hope is this one, where people get together, and demonstrate what a difference amongst people can look like. This is why I’ve supported ALLMEP and this International Fund initiative for so long.”
The new council will convene further meetings later this year in Europe, the Middle East and the United States, with additional global figures expected to join.
ALLMEP said the aim is to build stronger international backing for Israeli-Palestinian civil society organisations working to promote security, dignity and cooperation across communities – even as the region faces renewed war.
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