The writing was always on the wall: decades of violence and deaths are unsustainable. In 2022, 182 Palestinians & 22 Israelis were killed. Conflict management & stalemate only worsen the reality. We must reject the normalization of death, & work to end the occupation & siege through a just peace.

Extremists often dictate policy, shape governments, and commit war crimes, even without being the majority. To confront them, we must be action-oriented: setting clear benchmarks, reshaping governments policies. What matters is having a vision, driving change, and pushing to make that vision real.

Last week, I had the honor of visiting Palestinian children from Gaza who are hospitalized in Rome. While I won’t share their photos, I will remind you of their stories. We must not become desensitized to their pain or reduce them to numbers. They are human beings with the right to live in peace.