Miko Peled is a peace activist who dares to say in public what others still choose to deny. Born in Jerusalem in 1961 into a well known Zionist family, his grandfather, Dr. Avraham Katsnelson was a Zionist leader and signer of the Israeli Declaration of Independence. His Father, Matti Peled, was a young officer in the war of 1948 and a general in the war of 1967 when Israel conquered the West Bank, Gaza, Golan Heights and Sinai. Miko’s unlikely opinions reflect his father’s legacy. General Peled was a war hero turned peacemaker.
Miko grew up in Jerusalem, a multi-ethnic city, but had to leave Israel before he made his first Palestinian friend, the result of his participation in a dialogue group in California. He was 39.On September 4, 1997 the beloved Smadar, 13, the daughter of Miko’s sister Nurit and her husband Rami Elhanan was killed in a suicide attack.Peled insists that Israel/Palestine is one state—the separation wall notwithstanding, massive investment in infrastructure, towns and highways that bisect and connect settlements on the West Bank, have destroyed the possibility for a viable Palestinian state. The result, Peled says is that Israelis and Palestinians are governed by the same government but live under different sets of laws.
At the heart of Peled’s conclusion lies the realization that Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace as equals in their shared homeland.
Miko Peled‘s book, The General’s Son, is due out later this year from Just World Books. (H/t Pulse)
One hopes that Miko Peled’s conclusion can be realized by Israelis and Palestinians. The likelihood is small but the need enormous. Perhaps it needs a million Miko Peleds to accomplish, but I must own that the naysayers, myself among them, need to build more love and compassion in their own hearts—that it may touch those whose lives will be on the line every moment of the process.
Miko, I had the great pleasure of meeting your father years ago when he was in the San Francisco Bay Area and we all hailed him as a great hero as we now shall do for you. I feel strongly that the worst and most evil ideology that has plagued humankind is zionism and all efforts must be continually made to bring about its demise as was zone with nazism in Germany, communism in the former USSR, and fascism in Italy. I am encouraging all of my friends to buy your book when it is released and we want to know how we get them autographed by you.
With all good thoughts, best wishes, warmest regards, and elevated hopes for peace I remain yours in the ongoing fight against zionism,
Yousef Salem
Looking forward to reading Miko’s book…though much of the exposes concerning zionist mythology about expulsions, pre-emptive wars on neighbors, land expropriation/theft, and JudeoNazi treatment of the Palestinian people under brutal occupation or within the belly of the beast as “citizens” of a racist, brutal apartheid state which discriminates in every way possible against the indigenous minority within Israel (21%) down to the color of their license plates.. His revelations are not entirely new, since Avi Shlaim, Bennie Morris, Tom Segev, Simha Flapan, David Hirst, Lillienthal and many others over the decades have exposed much of the same information, but in his case, raised by a general who pushed for the 67 attack against Egypt and then later regretted these and other actions….speaking publicly on Israeli radio about it offered many the hope that the brutality might be stopped and peace could reign. So we have a son of a well known zionist military man speaking out along with his sister (Nurit) and brother in law (Rami) of bereaved parents….he joins them in pushing for truth /justice. thanks WIC for posting his youtube../message.