An environmental peacebuilding organization founded by an Israeli has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, also known as the Free University of Amsterdam.
In addition, two sister peace movements – one Palestinian and one Israeli – were nominated for the prize.
EcoPeace Middle East, founded nearly 30 years ago by climate activist Gidon Bromberg, was recently informed of its nomination. The organization has offices in Tel Aviv, Amman, and Ramallah, each manned by a co-director and staff.
"The recognition is important as it highlights from the bottom up that organizations are leading together across the political divide practical solutions to the Arab-Israeli conflict," Bromberg told The Jerusalem Post. "We are honored that the three decades of environmental peacebuilding work of EcoPeace is being recognized for this most prestigious prize."
Shortly before the October 7 Hamas massacre, Bromberg was interviewed by the Post. He said he believed Israel could build trust with its neighbors through environmental cooperation.
"When people see that this cooperation is improving their livelihoods, that builds trust," Bromberg said. "One of the most significant challenges of peace in the region is the other side's lack of trust."
Last week, he posted about the Nobel Prize nomination on his LinkedIn page. He said, "Despite the impossible situation, we are proud of our achievements, and while we recognize the road to sustainable peace is not a straight path, we will remain steadfast in our pursuit of a more peaceful future based on the principles of justice, freedom, respect to human rights and a mutual understanding of our shared environment."
Women Wage Peace received Nobel nomination after member murdered by Hamas
Women Wage Peace (WWP) and Women of the Sun (WOS) are the sister peace organizations that also received a nomination from the Free University.
WWP is the most significant grassroots peace movement in Israel. WOS is a Palestinian women's peace movement established in 2021.
In 2016, WWP launched its first "March of Hope," in which 30,000 women, men, and children – including 3,000 Palestinian women from the West Bank – walked for peace or participated in solidarity events. Since then, they spearheaded the signing of "The Mothers' Call" – a document outlining a shared vision for peace between the Palestinians and Israelis – signed by women on both sides.
WWP volunteer Neta Heiman Mina said the call "was based on the notion that women worldwide only want one thing: that their children should be raised in peace and quiet."
The Nobel Prize nomination comes after one of WWP's first members, Vivian Silver, was burnt to death in her home in Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7.
"I think the nomination shows that even in a period like this one, we can see that our organizations took serious steps to increase dialogue between the two sides," said Heiman Mina, whose mother was among those kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Ditza Heiman, 84, was captured while hiding in her safe room during the massacre. She was released 53 days later.
"Women Wage Peace called for doing things differently than we have for the last decades," Heiman Mina said. "No one has been able to solve the situation [between the Palestinians and Israelis]. I think if our leaders would have listened to us earlier, then maybe we would not have gotten to October 7."She said that "it is a complicated time" to discuss peace or the Nobel Peace Prize while Israeli soldiers are dying daily fighting Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Still, as a proud member of WWP, "I did not lose my faith, and I hope that from this tragedy, something different and better will emerge."
She said brutal conflicts worldwide have been solved, and "I believe it can also happen here."
Heiman Mina admitted, "Hamas is not the partner to do this with." But she said, "I hope there will be a Palestinian movement we can talk to after all this."